By STEPHANIE KUNDA –
STAKEHOLDERS have expressed mixed feelings over the transfer of married couples with some saying this is one of the causes of divorce.
Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) vice-president Manson Mutambo said transfers of married couples affected marriages because mostly they were young.
“Most married couples nowadays are young and still energetic and cannot live without each other. That’s why when they are transferred, they unite with other people in the areas they have been transferred,” he said.
He said at times a woman would become pregnant and when she returned home, the marriage would be broken because the husband would not handle the situation.
Mr Mutambo said this also caused the spread of diseases like HIV/AIDS, because some partners did not stick to one partner.
Mr Mutambo appealed to the government to think about how best the situation could be handled because marriages were at stake.
Zambia  National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) executive director Beauty Katebe said it was a double-aged situation in that they lobbied for women to be grounded.
“We don’t expect services of the husband and wives to be required in the same place. Yes, transfers are a recipe to divorce, but there has to be a way where a man and woman sit to discuss a way forward,” she said.
Minister of Labour Joyce Simukoko said when one was applying for a job, the marital status was not looked at.
“If you start propounding issues, it will breed another set of discrimination. We have come a long way in trying to put an end to discrimination against women,” she said.
Ms Simikoko said when anyone was employed, they were employed as a worker regardless of sex and status.
Ms Simukoko said some situations were exceptions where the employer would understand, especially when it was medical, and that the issue of resisting transfers would empower employers not to promote women.