MARTIN MULEYA
Amnesty International recently marked the international Day of the Girl Child by hosting a gathering of over 75 girls to discuss the challenges they face.
According to Amnesty International’s national coordinator Roselina Muzerengi, the girls shared heartbreaking stories of abuse in schools and homes, highlighting the need for a safer environment.
The girls’ conversations revealed that schools and homes, places they should feel safe, are instead becoming areas of abuse with no clear avenues for help.
Muzerengi emphasized that this abuse robs girls of their education and future, particularly noting the alarming rate of early forced marriages.
In response, Amnesty International is calling on the government to sign the Child Protection Act to provide crucial protection for young girls. Muzerengi stressed that communities must take responsibility for protecting the girl child and empowering future leaders.
To address these issues, Amnesty International is implementing initiatives to protect the girl child including research on adolescent access to sexual and reproductive health services. This research informs their advocacy efforts. They also aim to engage with apostolic sects in Bocha to raise awareness about the harmful effects of early child marriages.
“Amnesty International has taken a decision to bring girls from Bocha to help commemorate the day. They were shooting a film which becomes a basis to have conversation around issues affecting them like child marriages as it is connected to sexual reproductive rights. We gathered more than 75 girls where we engaged in conversation through a nhanga session where we are discussing issues affecting them. What is coming out is that the home should be a safe space for the girl. Schools and homes are becoming havens of abuse where the girl child is abused and has nowhere to run.
“We call upon government to ensure that the child protection act that was signed by the President is implemented so that the girl child is protected. We have an alarming rate of early forced marriages. When you rob the girl child of her education we will be robbing her of the future.
“As we commemorate this day we need to take responsibility in ensuring that the girl child is protected from any form of abuse so that we have future leaders that are empowered enough to lead the country.
“As an organization we have a number of initiatives that we are implementing to make sure the girl child is protected. We carry out research focusing on adolescent access to sexual reproductive services and use the information we gather from the research to begin advocacy.
“If there are policy gaps we advocate for policies that protect the girl child. We have information gap in communities and even within the legislature itself.
“We have been doing human rights education where we are continuing raising awareness on the relationship between sexual reproductive rights and early forced marriages. We have been going into the communities talking to traditional leadership and parents exploring ways that can protect the girl child as well as emphasizing on the relationship that exist on lack of knowledge on sexual reproductive rights,” said AI in a statement to the girls in possession of The Midweek Watch.
It also added that apostolic sects need to be engaged so as for them to understand the impact of marrying off young girls.
