KASEBA

FIRST Lady Christine Kaseba has described the high number of child marriages in Zambia as a crisis.
Speaking in interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Lusaka, Dr Kaseba said child marriages should be fought with the same energy that saw the country reduce the HIV prevalence from 25 per cent to the current 16 per cent.
She said HIV was considered a crisis when the prevalence rate stood at 25 per cent, indicating that the country needed to do something about the 42 per cent of girls that were either married off or impregnated before they reached the age of 18 years.
The First Lady, however, expressed happiness that leaders at different levels were getting involved in the fight against early marriages.
Dr Kaseba said that traditional leaders had become active in fighting the vice because of heightened awareness in the country.
She also commended the media in Zambia for their role in raising awareness as well as fighting early marriages.
Recently, Dr Kaseba called for the introduction of a new law to criminalise early marriages to help curb the vice.
Dr Kaseba said criminalising the act was the only sure way of fighting early marriages to ensure the protection of the girl-child as well as seeing a reduction in such practices.
Dr Kaseba said the current percentage of girls being married off before the age of 17 was high in the country and needed to be reduced by 2015 through the establishment of stiff penalties.
She was speaking during the official launch of the Regional Symposium on Ending Child Marriages at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
Dr Kaseba said there was need to strategise on how best the vice could be completely curbed. – ZANIS/TIMES