By MUNAMBEZA MUWANEI –

TEENAGE pregnancy has remained a source of concern in Zambia and statistics keep on rising despite all efforts aimed at reducing it.
Statistics show that most young girls are married off by the age of 15, while 24 per cent of girls are married off before the age of 18.
These figures are so alarming considering the fact that Government had come up with measurers to ensure that the girl-child is in school and as well as the ban on child marriages.
In trying to educate the girl-child, government has introduced the re-entry policy in order to allow the young mothers to return to school after giving birth.
Some of the traditional leaders in the country have also started sensitising members of their chiefdoms against marrying off young girls.
Among some of the traditional leaders that are spearheading the fight against child marriages on the Copperbelt province are; Senior Chief Chiwala of Masaiti, Chieftainess Malembeka of Mpongwe and Chief Mwinuna.
As a way of curbing early marriages, Chieftainess Malembeka has introduced a punishment for guardians or parents that marry off children at an early stage, while Senior Chief Chiwala has embarked on some programmes to sensitise the community against child marriages.
Recently, Gender and Development Minister Professor Nkandu Luo during a workshop in Lusaka said, young mothers face the risk of health complications like fistula.
Prof Luo cited poverty as having contributed to sex by female adolescent girls and lack of recreational activities for girls as another contributor of sex among the adolescents.
She has since pledged to write to councils countrywide for them to repossess land meant for play parks because they had deprived the children of playing and end up patronising bars.
But schools in Senior Chief Mukuni’s area in Kazungula District of Southern province, recorded a reduction in teenage pregnancies due to the promotion of education and behavioural change activities.
The United States Aid for International Development (USAID) , through its Support to the HIV/AIDS Response (ShARe II)project has been promoting behavioural change among the young people in the chiefdom.
Following the high statistics,
Republican Vice-President Inonge Wina appealed to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to assist Zambia address the challenges of teenage pregnancy.
Ms Wina said Zambia was losing its young population due to pregnancy complications associated with early marriages.
Giving birth at a tender age has health complications for the young mothers hence government’s concern to reduce this vice.
The use of condoms among schools going children could reduce concentration among the pupils as they will be allowed to practise sex from a tender age.
Introducing the use of condoms to the young people at the tender age, would also defeat the whole purpose of abstinence.
Education Deputy Minister David Mabumba said Government would not distribute condoms to school-going children because reproductive health activists had not justified their effectiveness in reducing teenage pregnancies and early marriages.
“Government is not distributing condoms in schools. We have heard the call on the same issue but we cannot do that until evidence is given to prove that it will work,” he said.
Youth and Sports Minister Vincent Mwale said, the ban on the use of condoms has been there for more than 10 years and no research had been done to know if the use of condoms in schools would prevent teenage pregnancy.
However, the call by Gender Minister Nkandu Luo was a good initiative because there was no activity for the children in communities that was why it was important to encourage adolescent participation in sports and activities such drama, art and many others .
Some of the land for the social amenities has been sold, while a multi-disciplinary sports facility in Luanshya has now become a shell.
The ban of condoms is not enough but there is need to find ways of keeping the young children active through participation in various competitive activities.
The involvement of traditional leaders to curb teen pregnancies and early marriages is good because they are in touch with the grass roots.
A medical expert Mwewa Kapakala during one of the World AIDS Day presentations said that, there were a lot of gaps in life skills education.
Dr Kapakala said the teachers of HIV and life skills education do not sufficiently cover condoms, sexuality and love issues.
He said parents should also be empowered to address sexuality to their children and Anti-AIDS clubs should provide sufficient information to address girls’ information needs.
The call by prof Luo to request council to provide recreational
activities in communities, would help to provide positive results and the young people would be kept busy.
The recent report in Chief Mukuni’s area in Kazungula
District, could also be attained in others areas if reproductive health activists and community leaders partner with various organisations with such interventions.
Reproductive health activists should find ways of working with
parents by empowering them with information in this fight.
So the appeal by the Republican vice-president to UNFPA to help tackle child pregnancy is welcome as that could also help reduce the current high statistics.