action aid zambia has called on government to increase the legal age for marriage from 18 to 19 to avoid early child marriages which are common in rural areas.
action aid country director pamela chisanga says as women commemorate 16 days of activism against gender based violence, there is need for government to stamp out child marriages and provide effective protective systems for zambian girls.
and ms chisanga has said there is need for government to show that it is committed to ensuring that education is accessible to all adding that some structures to prevent child marriages have been put in place, but the lack of funding is a great challenge which prevents these structures from functioning.ms. chisanga’s comments come in the wake of a new action aid report which is showing that parents’ approval of forced, under-age marriages and a general acceptance of domestic violence and corporal punishment are major obstacles to girls completing their primary education in sub-saharan africa.
the action aid research shows that parents are complicit in under-age marriage and that girls are all too frequently blamed for the violence they experience.
the report shows that up to 86 percent of 1082 girls who participated in the action aid research, had reported some form of violence against them in the past 12 months.
the report says in nakonde, mbala and mpulungu action aid zambia works together with communities to reintegrate girls back to school after becoming victims of child marriage.
however there is need for political will and action at the highest level. the action aid´s report `stop violence against girls in school` is based on research from ghana, kenya, mozambique, nigeria and tanzania however the same sad reality is true for zambia
action aid country director pamela chisanga says as women commemorate 16 days of activism against gender based violence, there is need for government to stamp out child marriages and provide effective protective systems for zambian girls.
and ms chisanga has said there is need for government to show that it is committed to ensuring that education is accessible to all adding that some structures to prevent child marriages have been put in place, but the lack of funding is a great challenge which prevents these structures from functioning.ms. chisanga’s comments come in the wake of a new action aid report which is showing that parents’ approval of forced, under-age marriages and a general acceptance of domestic violence and corporal punishment are major obstacles to girls completing their primary education in sub-saharan africa.
the action aid research shows that parents are complicit in under-age marriage and that girls are all too frequently blamed for the violence they experience.
the report shows that up to 86 percent of 1082 girls who participated in the action aid research, had reported some form of violence against them in the past 12 months.
the report says in nakonde, mbala and mpulungu action aid zambia works together with communities to reintegrate girls back to school after becoming victims of child marriage.
however there is need for political will and action at the highest level. the action aid´s report `stop violence against girls in school` is based on research from ghana, kenya, mozambique, nigeria and tanzania however the same sad reality is true for zambia
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