By STEVEN ZANDE
A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD girl of Petauke in Eastern Province has committed suicide after her family discouraged her from getting married to her 20-year-old boyfriend.
The family of the teen insisted that she was too young to get married.
The girl, who has been identified as Iveta Mbewe of Kalando village, Chief Mumbi in Petauke, committed suicide by taking a maize preservative pesticide.
Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said the family discouraged Iveta from getting married to her boyfriend aged 20 years of the same village on the basis that she was too young to get married.
This happened on Saturday around 19:00 hours in her village.
“Not happy with the family’s decision, Iveta decided to take her life by swallowing the pesticide,” Ms Katongo said.
She was rushed to Minga Mission Hospital where she later died at about 22:00 hours.