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By Hellen Bwalya
The Department of Child Development in Northern Province has implored the Mpulungu District Child Protection Committee to be alert in order to prevent trafficking of children in the border town.
Provincial Child Development Coordinator, Motion Milambo, says Mpulungu as a border town is prone to child protection concerns, which include child trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child labor, among others.
Mr Milambo told ZANIS in an interview that Mpulungu is vulnerable to such concerns due to the nature of the town, which shares Lake Tanganyika with Burundi, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Mpulungu has a hive of activities, especially that the district shares Lake Tanganyika with three other countries. Children may be trafficked, exploited sexually, and also involved in child labor,” he explained.
He said children can easily be trafficked from east Africa to South Africa through Zambia, stating that the committee should therefore be vigilant in curtailing such vices from happening.
And Mpulungu District Commissioner Gehard Sikazwe has appealed to government to consider funding the committee so that it can be fully functional.
Mr Sikazwe explained that the committee requires resources to be mobile in order to monitor the safety of children.
He said this is the only way that the vision of the government will be realized of protecting the children in the country.
Meanwhile, Headman Kasakalabwe who represented Senior Chief Tafuna at the meeting, said the chiefdom has put in stringent measures to curtail early marriages.
Headman Kasakalabwe explained that the chiefdom has by-laws that prohibit the marriage of children under the age of eighteen.
“We do not allow people in our chiefdom to marry off underage children, if one is found guilty, they are charged goats and money for committing such an offense,” he said.
“As a chiefdom, we have also started sensitizing the community members on the negative effects of marrying off underage children,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mpulungu Pastors Fellowship Chairperson Reverend Lampi Kaluba said children are future leaders whose welfare should be safeguarded.
“These children are future leaders, and as such, their foundation is crucial for them to develop into responsible citizens,” he said.
He said the church should do everything in its power to ensure that the foundation is solid and not destroyed.
ZANIS
The Provincial Administration – Northern Province is an extension of Central Government (Cabinet Office) at Provincial level and has a mandate to provide administrative secretariat and coordinate effective implementation of national programmes and policies in the Province.
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