Police Urged to Arrest 3,000 Men Behind Teen Pregnancies
"These men must face justice for robbing girls of their childhood," said Nelson Banda, ZNMNGD's national coordinator.
CHIPATA, Zambia - The Zambia National Men's Network for Gender and Development (ZNMNGD) is calling on the Inspector General of Police, Graphael Musamba to launch a special operation in Eastern Province to arrest about 3, 000 men responsible for impregnating teenage girls, writes Winston Mwale.
"These men must face justice for robbing girls of their childhood," said Nelson Banda, ZNMNGD's national coordinator.
According to ZNMNGD, 2,946 teenage pregnancies were recorded in Eastern Province in January 2024 alone.
Of those, 133 involved girls below age 15 and 2,813 involved girls between 15-19 years old.
"Eastern Province has recorded too many teen pregnancies and other forms of gender-based violence with very little action to bring perpetrators to book," said Banda.
In 2022, Eastern Province recorded 31,000 teen pregnancies, yet authorities have failed to intervene and prevent further occurrences, Banda noted.
He argued the 2,946 pregnancies mean 2,946 men should be arrested through a special police operation, as they could easily be identified through cooperation with the affected girls, teachers, communities and health centers.
"Through this action, Zambia will send a strong message that there will be no tolerance for sexual predators robbing the country of its future leaders," Banda said.
Nearly 3,000 girls between 15-19 years old have been robbed of their childhood in Eastern Province in just one month, Banda emphasized.
ZNMNGD believes firm law enforcement is critical to deterring the rampant sexual violence and teen pregnancies devastating young girls' lives and futures across Zambia.