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LUSAKA Zambia (Xinhua) --
The Zambia government says it is not in support
of plans by some civil society organizations to start
distributing condoms in secondary schools as one way to tackle
unwanted pregnancies.
This follows reports
in some local media that some civil society organizations
involved in reproductive health plan to start distributing
condoms and contraceptives to pupils in secondary schools to
curb teenage pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted
diseases.
Minister of
Religious Affairs and National Guidance Godfridah Sumaili says
the government is opposed to the distribution of condoms in
schools because it is currently battling the problems of early
marriages and teen pregnancies.
She told reporters
that organizations planning to distribute condoms in schools
will have no blessing from the government because doing so would
be encouraging children to engage in immorality and sex before
marriage.
Zambian President
Edgar Lungu has been clear about the importance of upholding
morals in the country and this was highlighted during his recent
address to lawmakers when he called for stakeholders to take
leading roles in inculcating high standards of morals in young
people.
Stakeholders have
since condemned plans to distribute condoms in schools as this
may erode morals of pupils.
The Basic Education
Teachers of Zambia (BETUZ), one of the teacher unions in the
country, said distribution of condoms in schools amounted to
indirectly inciting sexual indulges among pupils.
Kakunta Kabika, the
union’s spokesperson said it is unfortunate that the country’s
cultural values were being diluted by modern trends being
championed by some civil society groupings.
The distribution of
condoms and contraceptives in schools will only arouse indecent
curiosity among pupils and lead them into practicing sex, he
added.
According to him,
instead of distributing condoms and contraceptives to pupils,
the organizations should come up with more decent ways of
teaching teenagers about sexuality and dangers of sexually
transmitted diseases.
The views have also
been supported by the National AIDS Council (NAC), a government
agency that coordinates HIV/AIDS programs in the country, which
believes young people should be equipped with knowledge and
behavioral change instead of giving them condoms.
The organization
said there is need to promote behavioral change among young
people through sensitization programs on sexual reproductive
health.
The promotion of
comprehensive sexuality education to schools will empower
adolescents to be aware of the dangers of indulging in sex.
Some parents in
Lusaka, the Zambian capital, have since experienced shock that
some organizations would be contemplating the idea of
distributing condoms in schools, saying it was a recipe for
increased sexual immorality.
“This is unheard of
and whoever wants to do this should think twice because it will
destroy our children. There are certain things that children are
not supposed to be exposed to,” Jane Banda, a 40-year-old
civilian said.
Stewart Lungu, a
39-year-old teacher said introducing condoms in schools is not
the best solution to tackle teen pregnancies or fight sexually
transmitted diseases.
Zambia has one of
the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa with
1.2 million people currently living with the HIV, according to
health authorities.
The government has
rolled out a number of programs to tackle the spread of
HIV/AIDS, among them the distribution of condoms.
According to
figures, unprotected heterosexual sex drives the country’s HIV
epidemic, with about 90 percent of new infections recorded as a
result of not using a condom.
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EARLIER REPORT:
Zambian leader cancels Egypt
trip after attacks
LUSAKA Zambia (Xinhua)
-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu has canceled his visit to Egypt
following an explosion inside a church in the Egyptian Nile
Delta city of Tanta on Sunday, his office said on Monday.
On Sunday, Minister
of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba had announced that Lungu was
this week expected to travel to Egypt for a state-visit at the
invitation of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
But presidential
spokesperson Amos Chanda said the trip has been canceled due to
the security problem in Egypt after the attack.
The trip will be
undertaken later this year, he added in a statement.
The Sunday bomb
attack at Mar Girgis Church of Tanta city in Gharbiya Province
left at least 27 dead and 78 wounded. A following suicide
bombing at Saint Mark’s Church of the coastal city of Alexandria
also killed 17 and injured 48, according to Egypt’s health
ministry.
The Egyptian
president has since declared a three-month state of emergency.
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Opposition party denies
blocking Zambian leader’s motorcade
LUSAKA Zambia (Xinhua) --
Zambia’s leading opposition party on Monday
denied reports that it deliberately blocked President Edgar
Lungu’s motorcade on Saturday.
The opposition
United Party for National Development (UPND) has come under
attack over the incident with television footages showing their
leader Hakainde Hichilema’s convoy traveling side by side with
Lungu’s motorcade on a road in western Zambia’s Mongu district.
The two leaders were
in the district for a traditional ceremony.
Kakoma Kanganja, the
Inspector-General of the Police has promised that action will be
taken after he gets a full report on what transpired because it
endangered the life of the Zambian leader.
But Charles Kakoma,
the spokesperson of the opposition party said the party was law
abiding and could have stopped to allow Lungu to pass if they
had noticed his motorcade.
“We would have
courteously given way to the motorcade carrying Edgar Lungu had
we seen it coming. Assertions that we opted to drive side by
side with the motorcade that was carrying Lungu are not a true
reflection of what transpired,” he said in a statement.
According to him,
there was no prior warning to alert the opposition convoy that
the presidential motorcade was near.
Meanwhile, Lungu’s
office has condemned the opposition leaders for putting their
lives in danger by obstructing the presidential motorcade.
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