First lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba advises parents and traditional leaders to stop early marriages.

The campaign on the fight against early marriages in Zambia has been lunched.
First lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba who launched the campaign yesterday in Chipata, advised parents and traditional leaders to take a leading step for the trend to be reduced.
Dr. Kaseba says that traditional leaders, who have influence on people, can assist in stopping early marriages by banning some customs that contribute to the vice.
Dr. Kaseba says that cases of early marriages if left unattended to can deprive a child’s education as well as jeopardise a girl child’s health adding that most young girls have complications when giving birth.
She has appealed to government to increase access to education by constructing more schools in rural areas, stating that children who have dropped out of school due to early marriages should be allowed to go back to school.
And speaking during the same occasion, Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people says that traditional leaders will work together with government and other stakeholders in supporting the fight against early marriages.
He says that government should come up with a bill that will enable Chiefs to have more powers to stop people from practicing some negative traditional beliefs.
The paramount chief revealed that there is a scholarship in his chiefdom that allows school drop outs get back to school.
And Chief Ntambu of the Lunda people of Mwinilunga district appealed to government to spread the sensitisation program on the fight against early marriages to other parts of the country.