Commit to fulfilling SDGs – UNICEF

UNITED Nations Children’s Fund country representative Hamid El-Bashir

UNITED Nations Children’s Fund country representative Hamid El-Bashir has challenged Zambians to commit themselves to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals targeted at ending child marriages.
Speaking during the official launch of the civil society on ending child marriages in Zambia recently, Dr El-Bashir said early marriage practices in Zambia are an act of desperation by both parents and the girls.
He said poverty is the major driver of early marriages in the country and said Government must critically look to ending it if the fight against the scourge is to be contained.
“There must be increase in accessibility to quality education and we must address domestic violence and define gender roles,” Dr El-Bashir said.
And Deputy Minister of Gender Dorothy Kazunga said concerted effort is needed to end child marriages in the country.
She called on more co-operating partners to help fight the scourge that has robbed millions of girls of their childhood especially that Zambia still holds the highest rates of early marriages in the region.
“Child marriages is a serious challenge the entire world is grappling with and it robs a girl child of an opportunity to get educated and contribute to national development,” she said.
Meanwhile, Plan Zambia country director Samuel Musyoki praised the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for forming a civil network that will see to that child marriages become a thing of the past.
Mr Musyoki said CSOs and Government have the potential to end child marriages in the country.
He said stakeholders must be willing to share their best practices and lobby and advocate for the scourge to end.
“I’m urging Government to speed up the implementation of the action plan that will end child marriages and increase investment in the education sector,” Mr Musyoki said.