Some residents have expressed that poverty is the major cause of early child marriages especially in rural areas.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with one love radio news one of the residents in Kasenengwa district in Eastern province only identified as Mrs. Patricia reiterated that some parents tend to give their children away in marriages in return for money.
She said such has affected many young children’s health, hence the need to continue sensitizing against the issue.
“poverty is the cause, when parents are looking for money they end up taking their child into marriage for dowry especially if they are poor and have nothing else to do”, she said.
Meanwhile, a teacher at Kazulabowa primary school in katete district Eastern province, Richard Nyirenda noted the need to enhance legal mechanisms and come up with deliberate laws to stop parents from taking their children to marriage at a tender age.
Mr. Nyirenda told one love radio news in an exclusive interview that poverty has been a driving force for early child marriages as most of the parents are not financially capacitated to look after their children.
“when some one comes knocking for their girl child, they would rather give away that particular child to ease their pressure, and most parents in rural areas, because they are not educated and they don’t realize that what they are doing is affecting the future of the child they would rather gladly receive that particular money and release the child for marriage , that vice in Zambia can be fought if we can inherit our legal mechanism”, he said.
