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The Zambia National Men’s Network for Gender and Development (ZMNGD) has hailed Chief Hamusonde of Monze in Southern Province for declaring that any dowry payment for underage girls will be regarded as proceeds of crime to be forfeited to the Chiefdom.
Organisation National Coordinator, Nelson Banda, said this will deter young men from pursuing underage girls and luring them into marriages as well as stopping parents from accepting the dowry payment of girls under the age of 16 because it was illegal.
Banda in a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday was reacting to reports that the traditional leader had come out in the open to punish parents who marry off their girls under the age of 16 years.
He said child marriage exposes girls to gender-based violence and so by taking a strong position against the practice, Chief Hamusonde has made a wonderful step to prevent gender based violence as underage girls would have been potential victims.
“We wish to commend the traditional leader for taking a strong position against child marriage in his chiefdom and many girls are robbed of their future opportunities to develop their communities when their dreams are curtailed by child marriage,” Banda said.
He said child marriage robs the nation of potential human resources when girls are pushed into marriages before their time as they are forced to abandon their lifelong dream of serving their communities and the nation at large.
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“ZNMNGD feels inspired by the actions of Chief Hamusonde and other traditional leaders who have outlawed child marriage and other forms of gender based violence,” Banda said.
He said Girls must be offered an opportunity to dream without limits by spending more time in school.
“ZNMNGD is an implementing partner in the GRZ-UN Joint Programme Phase II to end gender-based violence,” Banda said.
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