WUNRN
ZAMBIA - TRADITIONAL
CHIEFS ADVOCATE TO STOP CHILD MARRIAGE
Lillian Banda – WNN Features
(WNN) - 28 July 2013 - Lusaka, ZAMBIA, EASTERN AFRICA: If recent
developments are anything to go by, the campaign to end child marriages is
steadily gaining momentum in
Traditional leaders are also now beginning to take an active
participation in the issue of child marriage by adding their impetus to the
cause. With this campaign, more and more local leaders are now speaking out
against child marriage and also calling for the arrest and prosecution of persons
perpetuating forced marriages of child brides.
“Zambian law forbids marriage below the age of 21, but many girls end up
being married even at 13 years. Getting reliable data on child marriages is
difficult, but estimates show that almost half of Zambian
women are married by the age of 18 – one of the highest prevalence rates in the
world.,” says the UNFPA – United Nations
Population Fund office in Zambia.
Traditional leaders inside Zambia are now making it a point to ensure
that that child marriage, along with other issues surrounding the subject, are
being brought out into public discussions during village gatherings. The traditional
leaders are utilizing public gatherings as a platform to educate their
communities about the consequences for families who marry girls off at a young
age.
“Traditional leaders play a very important role in advancing
development. And as custodians of cultural, people hold them in high esteem;
and thus making them even better advocates of positive change in their
communities and beyond. It is encouraging to note that traditional leaders
becoming aware of the need to uphold good cultural practices and discard ones
that are detrimental to the well-being of their communities,” outlines Princess
Kapuwamba Mwaangala Mwintuminu Yeta of the ethnic Lotzi people in the western
region of Zambia, known as Barotseland.
“I make it point to tell parents and community leaders that marrying off
their children at an early age is not only a violation of the rights of the
children involved but also counter productive. It is like eating a seed instead
of planting it; which is not a wise thing to do,” added Princess Kapuwamba.
“The girl child has a lot of potential. But that can only be realized with the
attainment of a good education. In western province, we have embarked on
programs that promote the full participation of parents, community leaders
[Headmen and Indunas] and children. The idea is to promote discussions around
issues pertaining to child marriages and other tendencies that inhibit women
and girls from realizing their potential,” she continued. “The aim of such
engagements is to come up with sustainable solutions.”
Princess Kapuwamba, as a commissioner at the Human Rights Commission and
The Law Development Commission in
Child marriage throughout
One concern for stop-child-marriage advocates in
“We ought to do everything in our power to ensure girls can become all
they can be,” said Nobel Peace Laureate and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town,
Desmond Tutu, who is also a Honorary member of The
Elders, during the Girls Not Brides conference
co-sponsored by The Elders in November 2012.
According to the UNFPA, within the decade from 2011 and 2020, more than
140 million girls are expected to become child brides.
If current levels of child marriages stay steady globally, 14.2 million
girls annually or 39,000 girls daily will marry too young. Of the 140 million
girls who are expected to marry before they are 18-years-of-age, 50 million
girls are expected to marry under the age of 15.
In
Chief Simamba
of the Bantu Botantwe people in Siavonga district in Southern Zambia is also
urging parents to stop forcing their children into early marriages, as doing so
‘would result in dire consequences’, outlines the Chief.
Saying that parents who marry off their girl children at a tender age
should be charged and punished so that the trend is put to a halt, Chief
Simamba emphasizes the need to educate young girls so they can ‘attain their
aspirations’.
Critical of the increased number of girls dropping out of school due to
early marriages in the Siavonga district the Chief also stressed that the
‘headmen’ in his ‘chiefdom’ should not hesitate to report all cases of child
marriage to local authorities in order to eradicate premature marriages among
girl children. Known throughout
A UNFPA sub-analysis of the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey
indicates that on average, two out of five girls will be married before their
18th birthday. This represents about 42% of women in the country. The analysis
also indicates that while child marriage is common in
Facing challenges in child marrage in
The Chieftainess addressed over a thousand people in a rural village in
the Nakonde district, saying cases of early marriages in her chiefdom are a
‘source of worry’. She also condemned the act of marrying off young girls
saying, “It is not part of the Namwanga cultural,” according to news from Radio Phoenix, a local
radio station in
“A lot girls are dropping out of school and getting married at an early
age,” points out
“Studies indicate that girls who marry later and delay pregnancy
increase their chances of staying healthier, better their education and build a
better life for themselves and their families. However, girls that get married
at a young age face a number of challenges such as complications during
pregnancy and childbirth. These are the leading cause of death in young women.
The government is doing everything possible to encourage young girls to
continue with their education, finish school and be able to have a family for
which they can adequately plan for,” Minister Wina further outlined.
Despite the physical damage and the persistent discrimination to young
girls, little progress has been made toward ending the practice of child
marriage. In fact, the problem threatens to increase with the expanding youth
population in developing countries.
It is for this reason that the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional
Affairs, with support from the United Nations and along with other line
ministries and Cooperating Partners, embarked on a nationwide campaign to end
child marriages in
UNFPA will in 2013 work with the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs
to invest in programs that will enforce national legislation against child
marriage, support information sharing with communities to transform negative
traditional norms that influence child marriages and create safe spaces for
girls affected and at risk of child marriage, and other debilitating life
situations.
Child marriage robs 10 million girls a year of their
childhood. A harmful traditional practice, child marriage denies girls their
rights to health, education and security. “Great change can happen within a
single generation. I know this to be true,” outlines Nobel Laureate and
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on the issue of child marriage worldwide. This
video from the Girls Not Brides campaign with Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and
Desmond Tutu, all members of The Elders, continues today to call on people
around the world to action: to end child marriage in a single generation.