Clergy challenged to speak out on sexuality education

First lady Esther Lungu has challenged the clergy to openly speak about sexuality education if young girls are to be spared from falling prey to teenage and unwanted pregnancies.

And the first lady has noted with concern and displeasure that some men are using their positions in society to coerce young girls into sexual relations in exchange for money and material things which most girls are falling prey to.

She has reminded the clergy that they have an important role to play in ensuring that girls are served from this scourge by remodeling the way they engage with young people and giving the right information pertaining to the dangers of early marriages, teenage pregnancies, HIV and STIs among others.

Mrs. Lungu says in as much as issues to do with sexuality education sound like a taboo, there is need to talk about them because nearly a third of the young girls in Zambia are becoming pregnant by the age of 18.

The first lady was speaking when she officiated at the religious leaders’ orientation workshop on adolescents’ sexual reproductive health and teenage pregnancies in Lusaka where she emphasized that early and unintended pregnancies are one of Zambia’s biggest developmental challenge faced by adolescent girls in the country.

And ICOZ board chairperson, Bishop David Masupa says the church is committed to supplementing government’s efforts in ensuring that the right sexuality education reaches adolescents as a way of preventing early unintended teenage pregnancies.

Meanwhile UNESCO country leader, Alice Saili noted the need for concerted efforts in addressing the scourge of HIV, early and unintended teenage pregnancies.