Eastern Province child pregnancies shock men’s network

The Zambia National Men’s Network for Gender and Development is shocked and saddened with the over 35,000 child pregnancies recorded in the last six months in Eastern Province.

Organisation National Coordinator Nelson Banda says its extremely worrying that underage girls in Eastern Province and elsewhere have continued to suffer sexual abuse at the hands of heartless men.

Mr Banda says although the 2019 figure shows a reduction by 9,000 cases compared to what was recorded last year, this situation cannot be allowed to continue as it is an infringement on the young girls’ rights to the full realisation of their potential and poses a huge maternal and health risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.

He has called on authorities in Eastern Province and other institutions tasked with the responsibility of looking after the wellbeing of the girl child to follow up these defilement cases and ensure the violators of the girls’ rights are brought to book to account for their criminal acts.

Mr Banda has since urged the traditional leadership, parents, churches, schools and civil society groups in Eastern Province to double up their efforts in addressing what he calls the child pregnancies scourge using their wide reach and influence in society and communities.