NAB CULPRITS RESPONSIBLE FOR EAST TEENAGE PREGNANCIES
IT was recently reported that 1, 800 teenagers fell pregnant in Eastern Province. The high teenage pregnancy prevalence rate is not only shocking but also detrimental to the future of the girl-child. This is because most of the victims are school going.
Some of the teenage pregnant girls are married by the men who made them pregnant while others are not married.
The latter creates a burden on their parents and guardians.
It is unfortunate that most teenage pregnancy cases are reported in the province and surely something must be done to avert the scourge. Essentially, the high number of teenage girls falling pregnant defeats the whole purpose of promoting the girl- child education.
Moreover, it goes without saying that when you educate the man you educate the person and when you educate the woman you educate the nation.
Hence, the need to prioritise the girl-child education. This does not mean that the boy-child should not have access to education.
The Zambian Constitution as the supreme law of the land puts it abundantly clear that having carnal knowledge with a girl below the age of 16 with or without her consent is tantamount to committing defilement.
Defilement is a felony meaning that it is a serious criminal offence which attracts a jail sentence of 14 years or more.
However, President Edgar Lungu and some traditional rulers have been in the forefront fighting teenage pregnancies and child marriages. Fighting these vices is a noble cause and those campaigning against them must be lauded.
The culprits responsible for the teenage pregnancies in the region must be nabbed, prosecuted and jailed upon conviction to deter would-be offenders.