By Masauso Mkwayaya
Child Marriages in Chief Chikwanda's Chiefdom of the Bemba
speaking people in Mpika District of Muchinga Province have drastically reduced.
The Chiefdom is now only recording about 3 cases of Child Marriages every month
compared to the over 15 cases recorded the same period a few years ago.
Scratching his well-manicured
hair and clad in a black suit, the happy looking Chief Chikwanda revealed that
cases of Child Marriages have reduced because of the Child Marriage By-Laws
that his Chiefdom has put in place to deter would be perpetrators.
One of such By-Law is a
law that calls for the revocation of Land from a family that marries off an underage
Child.
“ On the land application form,
we have attached some rules that everyone applying for land is expected to follow,
for instance a family that marries off their children, is expected to retain
any land in the possession to the chiefdom” Chief Chikwanda said.
This can also be attributed to the Anti-GBV and Child Marriages Committee that helps in dealing with any Child Rights Issues in the
area.
The Chief''s Committee
members are able to effectively identify Infringements on Children's rights because
of the training that they received from World Vision on Child Rights Issues a
few years ago.
The Chikwanda
Chiefdom says it is very thankful to World Vision for imparting skills in its subject
who are now well vested with Child Rights related issues.
“ We are very thankful to
Wolrd Vision Zambia who have helped us form to form Anti GBV Clubs in Schools, where
headteachers are playing the focal point role between the schools and the chiefdom”
Chief Chikwanda said.
Chief CHIKWANDA has however
complained that his committee finds it difficult to extend their services to
the entire Chikwanda Chiefdom because they do not have transport.Chikwanda Chiefdom is about
72 square kilometers as such it is difficult to reach other areas without a
motor vehicle.
Government and other NGO's should therefore cheep in and assist the
Chiefdom with a vehicle which will help the people spearheading the Anti GBV
and Child Marriages activities to easily move around.The Chief said this during a
meeting with his GBV committee, who met him in a concrete shelter outside his
palace that overlooks some hills.
The Chikwanda palace is
located about 15 kilometers on the eastern side of Mpika Central Business
District .
