By CHILA NAMAIKO-
SOUTHERN Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe has urged traditional leaders to get involved in scaling up the fight against child marriages in the Zambia.
Mr Munkombwe said child marriages had become a threat to the lives of girls who were being married off by some parents at tender ages.
He said chiefs could play a critical role by firmly partnering with Government in sensitising the masses against marry-off their daughters at the expense of education.
“Unless we go deeper, we will be failing to eradicate child marriages, that’s why we need to examine its root causes and work together with traditional leaders to eradicate it,” he said.
The minister was speaking in Choma yesterday at a provincial consultative meeting on ending child marriage attended by more than 12 chiefs drawn from various districts in the province.
Provincial Permanent Secretary Anne Sinyangwe said child marriages had become a menace to the welfare of girls as it was a violation of children’s rights such as education and health.
Ms Sinyangwe said that child marriage was one of the products of Gender Based Violence which had implications on the welfare of girls.
United Nations Population Fund Agency national coordinator for ending child marriages Peter Mucheleka called for collective efforts among stakeholders in eradicating the scourge.
