Poverty Perpetuating child marriages

By Brenda Zulu

Visiting in my neighbourhood one day, I witnessed a case in which an impregnated girl was dumped at a home where the man responsible for the pregnancy stays.   A woman who introduced herself as her grandmother to the 14 years old girl called Judy Mutale said they had decided to visit them at night because she was to be left at their house because she was pregnant.

 Thom Mabenga the owner of the house asked why they had chosen to visit his house. Grandmother said it was because Judy had told her that William Kaonga was the man responsible for her pregnancy and that he stayed at the Mabenga’s place.  It was then that Kaonga a dependant was called to be part of the discussions.

The Grandmother continued on to explain that Judy told her that she was pregnant and that the man responsible had asked her to have an abortion. 

Grandmother said she knew a native doctor who could help with the termination of pregnancy and asked Judy to call the man responsible to sign for her so that he could authorize the abortion. Kaonga was called and he appended his signature to a paper that would allow the unnamed native doctor to go ahead and with terminating the pregnancy.

Grandmother continued on to explain that upon seeing that Kaonga had signed the paper to allow Judy to terminate the pregnancy that was when they were fully convinced that Kaonga was the man responsible for her pregnancy. She said they saw it fit to bring Judy to join the man responsible as a pregnant girl was supposed to be with the man who impregnated her.

Judy’s grandfather who had also accompanied the women said “in my culture as a Bemba man I will not keep a pregnant woman in my house while the one responsible was around.  Our custom and culture denies us to do so. I hear that the man responsible has a job, let him find a room to rent and stay with his wife. He should have thought twice before planning on destroying the life of my granddaughter.  We are back for talks after the baby is born,” said Judy’s grandfather.

Judy’s story is not exclusive of her but has happened to many girls who have been married off as children. In the above discussion we can see that the parents of the girl really don’t want anything to do with the girl child. Her pregnancy was an opportunity for her family to send her away.

Child marriage in Zambia lies at the intersection of broad set of problems facing girls. The practice violets girls’ human rights, curtails their schooling, harms their health and sharply constrains their futures. If we can significantly reduce child marriages, we can improve girls’ health and development and that of their families, communities and nations.

In an interview with Reverend David Masupa, Independent Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) Executive Board Chairman said that marriage in Zambia under the statute law was for women who were 21 years and above and that under customary law a girl could be married at 18 years.

“Traditionally due to ignorance people have been marrying off their girl children as they consider it as an investment and that also parents expect not only lobola but many other things.

“Among the Tongas for instance they exchange girl children with cattle. For a person to be married off these days it is not less than K10 million ($ 2000 US dollars),” said Reverend Masupa.

He added that child marriage in Zambia was being perpetuated by poverty as this was now seen as a monetary gain pointing out that elders just wanted money.  Rev Masupa was however quick to note that it was not a sin that dowry showed be paid.

Recounting his counseling visits on reproductive health and family planning to Chikwela village in Chongwe rural, Reverend Masupa said that there were many young girls who were already mothers and had been married off as children. He observed that child marriages usually contributed to girls psychologically disturbance and their loose of value to contribute to their natural development.

He added that these young girls do not go far in their education and their economic future development was also disturbed.

 

According to the 2007 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS), Teenage pregnancy is a major health concern because of its association with higher morbidity and mortality for both the mother and child. Childbearing during the teenage years also frequently has adverse social consequences, particularly on female educational attainment, because women who become mothers in their teens are more likely to curtail education.

Child marriage persists because of being deeply rooted in cultural and regious beliefs and attitudes that discriminate against girls and women. Among the Zion church for instance we have seen many child marriages continue to taking place.

Child marriage was actually a deterrent to the achievement on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that support education and health and poverty.

As we have already seen child marriages usually mark the end of girls schooling, the investment that would have the greatest payoff for development. This is because girls who marry early never have the full potential and rise out of poverty.

According to the UNICEF 2008, comparing with women over the age of 20 years, girls ages 10 to 14 were five times more likely to die from child birth, and girls 15 to 19 were twice as likely. The babies of adolescent mothers were much more likely to die than infants born to women ages 20 and older. Early marriage also exposes young girls to HIV as their husbands tend to be older and more sexually experienced and sex is more likely coerced, increasing the transmission of HIV from husband to wife.

As young girls bodies are not fully developed for giving birth, many live with the disability of fistula resulting from obstructed labor. This limits their chances of bearing children and may get chased from their husband’s households.

Attitude and society norms can be changed through well designed programs facilitated by the government and it has to happen at a much greater scale. It would be nice to see aspiring candidates in this year during their election campaign talk about child marriage as an issue in our society. Remember if you educate a girl, you have educated a nation.

 If you were a Member of Parliament, what would you do to end child marriages in Zambia?

All names is this story are not real names as the case involves a child whose identity we should protect as this may affect her in future