Dear Editor,
The revelations by Gender Justice executive director Karen Simutelo that many young girls in rural areas are becoming victims of child marriage because of some harmful traditional customs that promotes the vice, are extremely worrying.
Ms. Simutelo correctly points out that in rural areas some girls are regarded as adults when they reach puberty even if they are 10 years old. This is the major challenge we have,” said Ms. Simutelo.
It is equally sad to learn that Society for Gender Justice and Women Rights has retrieved 21 Girls married off in Chief Mwanza and Ufwenuka Chiefdoms in Southern Province.
The girls were retrieved by Chiefs Mwanza and Ufwenuka during a two days Community Sensitization meeting conducted by the NGO.
It is possible the figure could be much higher considering that many such marriages are hardly reported due distances and of course bad traditional beliefs.
It is a great injustice to have a child married off against her will and while she is underage.
This destroys most young females mentally and affects their physical growth as well.
All culprits involved in this terrible vice must be punished and mass education should be rolled out to prevent it from continuing.
Chiefs who only promote such programmes as long as they get something to eat are equally to blame and they must be dethroned.
