‘Don’t push young girls into marriage’

SANFROSSA MANYINDA writes @SunZambian PARENTS must not to use young girls and sell them as assets for marriage, Ndola Mayor, Amon Chisenga has said. Mr Chisenga said the habit of parents marrying off young girls before they fully became of age should come to an end. He said young girls should not be married off at a tender age by their parents for they find it hard to further their studies. Mr Chisenga said that most of the girls assume more responsibilities when they become wives and mothers, making it difficult for them to concentrate in school. The Mayor said this when he came across a 17-year-old girl who gave birth to a boy and did not complete her school because she was married off at a tender age. This was at Chipokota-Mayamba Urban Health Centre in Chifubu Township in Ndola. “A girl child should not be taken advantage of by anyone who is capable of making rules for them. Let the girl child be educated first before marriage and let them be independent before entering into marriage,” he said. Mr Chisenga said young girls needed to be allowed to attain an education as well as reach an age suitable for them to marry.