The Zambia National Men’s Network for Gender and Development (ZNMNGD) has opposed the reported calls by Paramount Chief of the Ngoni people which suggest that girls who fall pregnant must be punished.
ZNMNGD National Coordinator Nelson Banda stated that the call by Chief Mpezeni for stiffer punishments of girls as opposed to giving adolescents financial help if the cases are to be reduced in various communities is likely to lead to more exposure on the part of the girls and increase poverty among the affected victims.
Mr. Banda said the efforts to punish the girls should be directed to the men and boys who sexually abuse small girls by enticing them with gifts in exchange for sexual favors instead of calling for punishment of girls only.
Mr. Banda said his organization feels that expressing punitive threats against pregnant girls is not going to solve the problem but inflict double punishment for girls as they will have to endure the challenge of carrying the pregnancy, dropping out of school, including the risk of maternal deaths while the man responsible for the pregnancy goes scoot free.
