Gender council raises red flags on moral degradation, GBV, among others, as Zambia turns 59 year

The Non-Governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has raised a number of issues which it says must immediately be dealt with. This is as Zambia celebrates 59 years of independence.

The Independence Day is
being celebrated under the theme, “Accelerating national development through equitable distribution of resources.”

Among the issues raised in a statement issued on Tuesday include negative traditional practices affecting women, Zambia’s identification with imitated “alien” cultures and high levels of poverty.

NGOCC Chairperson, Grace Sinkamba, stressed the need to expose the negative traditional practices that negatively affect women as the country matures.

Sinkamba called on government and all stakeholders to join hands in discrediting all negative traditional norms, cultures that negatively impacted women and perpetrated vices such as Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Zambia.

“From a cultural perspective, our traditional beliefs, and systems, while not all negative, perpetrate patriarchy and sustain norms and customs that impact negatively on women and girls such as early child marriages that is the major cause of girls dropping out of school and not completing their education,” she said.

Sinkamba also expressed sadness that Zambia had over the years lost its value system and identifies with imitated alien cultures.

She said: “this can be seen, for example, by the increased brothels in the name of casinos and massage parlours dotted around the country.”
She also spoke about the high level of poverty which continues to bear the face of the women as they remain more vulnerable.

Sinkamba said the theme for this year’s commemoration would not be more appropriate on the need for equitable distribution of national resources.
“Many citizens, especially the most vulnerable women and children, continue to bear the heavy brunt of poverty.

“Therefore, there is need to urgently address poverty if political independence is to be meaningful. Political independence remains unappreciated without economic emancipation,” she said.

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