Owing to the above facts, early child marriage has currently become a vital topic of discussion amongst several development platforms which has made it more visible to many that were unaware of its existence. Former first lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata on the 10th of June in The Times of Zambia outlined that child marriage presented a serious challenge to development and needed to be criminalized. Later, Inonge Wina, Minister of Gender at the time, now Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, reinforced Dr Kaseba's remarks in The Post Newspaper dated 19th November by declaring child marriage a national crisis and also calling for its criminalization in Zambia.
She further emphasised that as first ladies their agenda was advocacy for a free Africa with no child marriages. At present, Zambia is ranked 16th amongst countries with the highest rate of child marriage in the world and although the Marriage Act establishes a legal age for marriage, and the Penal Code makes sex with a girl under 16 an offence in Zambia, these provisions rarely apply in customary law.
Under statutory marriage however, child marriages are illegal, and considered a form of child abuse. The legal age for marriage under statutory law is 18 for females and 21 for males.
Child marriage is associated with high levels of poverty; hence in Zambia it is seen as a rural phenomenon, although there are some reported cases of child marriages taking place in urban areas.
Poverty leads many parents to withdraw their daughters' from school and offer them for marriage to older men in most cases in exchange for payment of 'lobola' a dowry for the bride.
