CHILD MARRIAGE STILL THREATENS ONE IN FOUR ZAMBIAN GIRLS

NGOCC calls for stronger enforcement of child marriage laws, expanded fast-track courts and increased investment in girls’ education as defilement cases remain high.

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24 — 13-10-2026 — The Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) says child marriage continues to threaten the education, health and future of thousands of Zambian girls, despite a decline in prevalence from 29 per cent in 2018 to 23.9 per cent in 2024.

NGOCC Executive Director Anne Mbewe-Anamela says nearly one in four young women still marry before the age of 18, warning that the progress made in reducing child marriage must be strengthened through sustained investment in girls’ rights, education and protection from abuse.

In a statement issued on Tuesday to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, under the theme “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights,” the council said child marriage continued to deprive girls of their right to education, good health and the opportunity to determine their own futures.

“Child marriage remains one of the gravest threats to the Zambian girl child. It robs her of education, health and the right to choose her own future,” NGOCC said.

The council welcomed the reduction in child marriage prevalence but cautioned that the figures remained a concern, requiring stronger interventions to prevent more girls from entering marriages before they reach adulthood.

NGOCC commended Government for implementing initiatives aimed at keeping girls in school and reducing their vulnerability to early marriage. These include the Keeping Girls in School initiative, free education, the Re-entry Policy and the school feeding programme.

The council said the interventions were helping more girls remain in education rather than enter early unions, emphasising the importance of sustaining programmes that give girls opportunities to complete their schooling and improve their prospects.

NGOCC also recognised the Marriage (Amendment) Act No. 13 of 2023, which sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 without exception and renders marriages involving children void.

However, the council said legal reforms and education programmes must be accompanied by effective enforcement and stronger protection mechanisms, particularly as sexual offences against children remain a serious concern.

Citing Zambia Police Service figures, NGOCC said police recorded 681 defilement cases in the first quarter of 2026, of which 669 involved girls. A further 647 cases were recorded in the second quarter.

The council noted that defilement remained the most prevalent sexual offence, while the number of child victims of gender-based violence increased to 2,678 in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 5.2 per cent rise compared with 2025.

NGOCC said the figures represented children whose safety and well-being had been compromised, with abuse threatening their childhood and potentially disrupting their future.

“Behind every figure is a girl whose childhood has been violated and future potentially disturbed,” the council said.

It called on Government to scale up the Keeping Girls in School initiative, provide adequate resources for enforcing child marriage laws and expand fast-track courts handling defilement cases.

NGOCC said strengthening the justice system was necessary to improve the handling of defilement cases, while calling for greater community involvement in preventing child marriage.

The council urged traditional and religious leaders to intensify efforts to reject and report child marriages within their communities, noting the importance of community leadership in challenging practices that expose children to harm.

It also called on parents and guardians to ensure that both girls and boys remain in school and are protected from abuse.

NGOCC said the protection of children required a collective effort involving families, communities, Government, cooperating partners and civil society organisations.

The council further emphasised that efforts to advance girls’ rights should not overlook the boy child, arguing that the experiences and upbringing of boys can influence how they relate to girls and women.

“Boys and girls share homes, schools, communities and beyond, and each can shape the other’s outcomes,” NGOCC said.

It warned that boys who experience neglect and abuse, or grow up exposed to harmful notions of masculinity, may become a threat to girls, while those raised to embrace respect and equality can become allies in promoting girls’ rights.

“A boy who is neglected, abused or raised on harmful notions of masculinity may become a threat to the girl beside him. A boy nurtured in respect and equality becomes her ally,” the council said.

NGOCC therefore called for investment in boys to complement programmes aimed at empowering girls, stressing that both must be raised in environments that promote respect, equality and protection from violence.

The council also urged cooperating partners and civil society organisations to sustain investments aimed at transforming harmful social norms and advancing the rights and well-being of every child.

As Zambia joins the international community in commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child, NGOCC said the focus should remain on translating commitments and legal protections into meaningful improvements in the lives of children.

“Together, let us end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” the council said.