By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE-
THE Non Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) says there is need to interrogate the cause of high numbers of child abuse that result in defilement and early pregnancies.
NGOCC executive director Engwase Mwale said it was sad that the media has been replete with sad stories of even babies being defiled to a point of death.
Ms Mwale bemoaned the continued increase of abuse of children, especially girls who were subjected to rape, defilements, early marriages, and early pregnancies.
She said in her message to commemorate this year’s Day of the African Child, which falls today that Zambians should make society more habitable for the child because they were custodians of the country’s future.
Ms Mwale said  Zambia had also recently witnessed some increased incidences of pupil pregnancies in the schools which should be discouraged.
This year’s theme is “A Child Friendly, Quality, Free, and Compulsory Education for all Children in Africa”.
Ms Mwale said  there was need for all stakeholders including Government, NGOs and international entities, to reflect on issues affecting children.
She said that there was need to interrogate the reasons for the increased cases of defilement against girl children and the recent increased incidences of pupil pregnancies where a huge number of girls were going on maternity leave.
“To build a solid future for our country, there is need to safeguard the rights of our children. We need to ensure that our children access quality, free and compulsory education that will guarantee their future,” Ms Mwale said.
Ms Mwale called on Government to put in place measures to safeguard the rights of children so as to achieve Article 11 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).