. Kaseba

POVERTY reduction efforts in the country will not bear tangible results if issues to do with the girls and women are not addressed.
Women play a very important role in the development of any given country and should therefore receive adequate social and economic support for them to be able to take up a useful role in society.
This process starts right at the time the girls enroll in schools which play a fundamental role in shaping their academic stamina.
However, many times the girl child’s life is brought under jeopardy as a result of the many social vices.
The statistic that eight per cent of girls under the age of 15 are forced into marriage makes sad reading.
Actually the figures could even be higher because most of these incidents happen in the rural areas where data is hard to record.
Government’s commitment to tackle early marriages has been inspiring although there is need for more concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including parents to ensure that this negative trend is reversed.
Parents play a critical role in shaping the destiny of their children and should not at anytime think that forcing their children, especially girls into early marriages is the right thing.
Besides, this is criminal and perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.
There is also need for civil society organisations and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to continue with the sensitisation campaigns against early marriages in the country side.
Traditional leaders too should be in the forefront discouraging their subjects from encouraging early marriages.
Chiefs are key in this area as they have access to their subjects who in turn respect them and abide by their commands.
It is also important to acknowledge the role the First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba is playing in ensuring that early marriages and Gender Based Violence (GBV) are discouraged.
GBV too has ghastly ramifications which take a toll on national development and should be stumped out.
The theme for this year’s commemoration of the International Day of the girl child, “Zambia at 50, empowering adolescent girls ending the cycle of violence” is timely as it enables the country to reflect on its commitment towards the girl child.
All forms of violence against the girl child should not be encouraged and efforts to rid the country off the vice should be supported.
It is imperative that the welfare of the girl child is looked into so that families in the country have both men and women who contribute to national development.