Life of child prostitute and mother …..how teenager survives with baby on Lusaka streets

By ANN ZULU

MANY people see prostitution - the act of trading one’s body for money and other material things - as normal. In fact in most parts of the world, prostitution has been legalized.

However when a child engages in it, it becomes a global discourse.

Charity, 17, is one of the many children in Zambia who is living her life as a prostitute.

Leaving Chongwe, her hometown, to search for greener pastures in Lusaka, all Charity was offered was the streets as a home and a baby to look after.

“I don’t know the whereabouts of the father of my child, I have not seen him in a while,” she told me.

Apparently, she had been abandoned by the man who impregnated her, the same man who deceived her that he loved her and had encouraged her into sleeping with other men to sustain them.

Consequently, after the baby was born 10 months ago, the only trade Charity had been taught for survival was prostitution.

She has religiously followed this path so she and her baby will live by the day. She sleeps with more than three men every day to make a daily wage of K50.

To many people, a K50 is nothing but to Charity it’s a pay-off for a rigorous day’s job. Unfortunately, sometimes the money is snatched by some of her wicked clients.

She added that on two occasions some men had pretended they wanted her to render a helping hand, but molested and raped her and all she could do was to cry and dry her own tears.

Charity is a mother while she herself still needs the guardian hands of a mother. One wonders how many girls in her predicament would have handled this situation.

She had the choice of a risky abortion and a perhaps a normal life all over again but she opted to be a parent at her tender age.

She must have felt tremendous love for her unborn child and in the midst of all the hardship and emotional turmoil, Charity chose to hold her baby for nine months in her womb and bring her forth into the world. Charity is indeed a true epitome of a strong African woman.

As we talked, she hurriedly averted her attention to respond to the cry of her hungry baby girl. She caressed her and briskly unbuttoned her blouse so she could reach her breast to feed her child.

As baby Mapalo drew food from her mother’s nipple, I wondered just how safe and healthy the breast milk was for her baby.

“I don’t know if I’ve contracted any disease because I don’t go to the hospital,” she said.

Clearly, Charity had been practising unprotected sex. And if anything was wrong with her, her 10 months old baby will share it too.

And what happened to Mapalo whenever her mother had to serve a client?

Charity said every time she had a ‘‘business’’ call, she left her daughter with a certain woman who sells cassava by the road side and paid her K5 when she returned. What a life! What a future for Mapalo!

Does Charity have friends?

“I don’t have any friends; it’s a dangerous world out there to befriend anybody. Most times I hang around pubs and most of the girls usually smoke and drink and get into fights with the men. I don’t want to be part of bad company especially for the safety of my daughter,” she said.

Charity seems to know what she’s up to and what she wants for her daughter and like every other girl that has dreams and fantasies, Charity has always wanted to be a teacher.

There are many such girls on the streets of Zambia, who are victims of their own circumstances.

Child prostitution is on the increase. Our society is becoming unfriendly to children each day. Unfortunately, prostitution to some of them is the last resort.

Many of these children have been denied love and parental care. Others just drift away from their homes to seek material wealth which they think have been deprived of.

In most cases they are victims of poverty and cruelty - men and women who are supposed to be protecting them take advantage of their vulnerability and abuse them sexually. In the process they destroy a bright future.  

Charity is a classic example of a new breed of Zambian citizens: young, abused, vulnerable kids who learn life the hard away on the street – some with a baby on their back.

One wonders what tomorrow holds for many of them.

Child marriage continues to ruin young lives in Zambia

By ANN ZULU

THE practice of child marriage, defined as a formal marriage or an informal union of anyone younger than the age of 18, is a reality that continues to affect many children globally and Zambia is no exception.

Zambia is among the top 20 countries with the highest prevalence rate of child marriage in the world.

Although the scourge affects both boys and girls, the latter are disproportionally victims.

According to the 2013-2014 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) 17 percent of girls aged 15-19 are married compared to only 1 percent of boys of the same age group and 42 percent of women aged 20-49 report having married before the age of 18, compared to 4.2 percent of men.

What are the causes of child marriage in Zambia?

Poverty

Many families in Zambia especially in rural areas are still living in object poverty, therefore, poverty has proved to be one of the most significant factors driving child marriage in Zambia

Child labour Ambassador Samson Mutambo explains that parents and guardians see child marriage as a potential opportunity to benefit financially from the bride price for their daughter as well as an opportunity to ease their strain on household resources.

“Economic hardship forces parents and guardians to make difficult choices as they try to manage their living situation and encourages short-term strategic thinking rather than consideration of investment in longer term gains.

“For their part, girls see marriage as an opportunity to escape challenging economic and material circumstances and as a means of responding to their own basic needs,” he said.

Lack of recreation

In Zambia, the rates of child marriage are higher in rural areas than urban, as are teenage fertility rates.

Latest data available from the 2007 DHS indicate that girls in some rural areas are more than twice as likely to marry as their counterparts living in large towns and cities.

The survey also reveals that girls in rural areas also tend to marry, on average, about two years earlier than girls of the same age living in urban areas.

Chikobo ward Councillor Reagan Mubtsa in Chitambo Constituency of Central Province disclosed that children in his ward have limited access to a range of programmes, information services and few opportunities for leisure and recreation.

“Like other children in rural areas, children in my ward do not have access to leisure and recreation facilities, they don’t have things to do and so they resort to engaging in sexual activities which eventually lands them in early marriages,” Mr Mubatsa said.

Not going to School

The dynamics between child marriage and education are complex and flow in multiple directions; some girls marry because they cannot go to school.

For many families, the financial cost of sending children to secondary school is prohibitive. With annual secondary school tuition reported to be approximately K2, 700 and annual and annual family incomes in rural areas reported at about K900.

Secondary schooling is financially prohibitive for many families, even before taking into account the indirect costs for items like uniforms, materials and transport. With average rural household size 5.2 persons, the high ratio school fee to income makes it impossible for families to consider sending more than one or, at the most, two children to school at any one time.

“Sometimes children want to go to school and parents are ready to take them to school, but they don’t have funds or school fees, hence, children stay at home without anything to do. They have no recreation centres, hence if they can’t go to school, recreation becomes sexual activities,” A father of six and resident of Chitambo, Josias Chola said.

Teenage pregnancies

Marriage is a common response to teenage pregnancy in many Zambian communities. It is widely accepted that if a girl becomes pregnant, then she should marry the father of the child.

A 16-year-old Mercy Banda, who was married off when she was 14 years but now divorced, said her parents forced her into marriage when they found out that she was pregnant.

“When I was 14, I was impregnated by a boy who was two years older than me and my parents said they could not support my child, so I had no option but to marry him. But we are not together anymore,” she said.

Vulnerability of orphan’s stepchildren

Orphans and step children are more vulnerable to child marriage, especially in areas where HIV prevalence rates are high or there are greater levels of divorce and remarriage.

At community level, extended families are involved in the care of orphans and in meeting their basic needs through early and middle childhood income. Usually when orphans reach puberty, guardians tend to think that their duty of care has been met and that it was acceptable to seek out marriage for non-biological children in the household.

“The main issue is orphan children- their inability to feed themselves or be fed by their guardians and the quality of care by guardians. Orphans come mainly from households with HIV where the parents have died or they have been forced out of a home due to re-marriage,” says Nkweto Mubanga, a nurse.

Similarly, stepchildren are often pressured by stepparents to become independent as a means of reducing the demands on the households’ economy or of freeing up the limited resources available to support children from the current marriage.

Stepchildren are also cited as being mistreated and such treatment renders marriage a more attractive option to children because they seek to run away from what they deem an intolerable living situation.

“She must have been mistreated at home by her cruel step mother, who may have not been giving her food to eat or might have been beating her,” Ms Mubanga added.

Risks associated with child marriage

Adolescent girls have continued to die from complications arising from early child bearing and they continue to drop out of the school system before completing their education, therefore, reducing their chances of escaping poverty. Girls also experience emotional difficulties when they move out of their family home, such as challenges that couples encounter in managing their relationship with one another and caring for small children when they themselves are young and lack experience.

Interventions

Child marriage is an issue that has gained attention in Zambia. Nearly every week, there are media reports and press releases on the topic, and regular statements are made by chiefs, government officials, non-governmental organisations, academics and front-line workers in rural and urban areas.

The Zambian government, working in partnership with stakeholders, had embarked on the programme to end child marriage, officially launched in 2013.

The Ministry of Gender was given the responsibility of coordinating the national efforts against child marriage, while addressing the vulnerabilities as well as the consequences associated with marrying off children.

“In carrying out the intervention, my ministry is responsible for strengthening coordination at all levels, raising awareness on child marriage, facilitating the review of policy and legal frameworks related to children and marriage, building capacities of stakeholders at all levels, mobilising funds and facilitating service delivery related to addressing the vulnerabilities and consequences of child marriage,” says Gender Minister Victoria Kalima.

In order to strengthen the national response to ending child marriage, the Ministry of Gender, working with stakeholders, last year developed a National Strategy on ending child marriage, a document which outlines the strategic focus for the period 2016-2021.

Ms Kalima explained that the National Strategy was aimed at accelerating National efforts to end child marriage by 2030 by providing an operational framework that reflects the current national and global trends and efforts.

“I am confident that the National Strategy on ending child marriage will promote and contribute to the protection of the rights of all children, both those affected by child marriage as well as those at risk.

“It will support their development and welfare as espoused in the Revised National Child Policy, the Revised Sixth National Development Plan, Zambia’s Vision 2030, the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Children, the African Union Charter and other relevant national international policy and legal document,” Ms Kalima said.

With all these interventions, everyone has a responsibility to ensure that all children grow up in a safe environment, have access to health care and develop themselves to their full potential.

The fight against child marriage will remain only wishful thinking if proactive measures put in place are not implemented by all to ensure that this becomes a reality.

Child marriage leads to multiple violations of children’s rights, especially for the girl child and has globally been identified as one of the detriments to development, therefore, there is an urgent need for concerted efforts of various players to ensure children fully develop before they enter into marriage.

Hate speech in politics discouraging women participation

By ANN ZULU

CONTINUED hate speech among political parties is discouraging 

women from participating in politics, Zambia National Women’s Lobby chairperson Beauty Katebe has said.

Ms. Katebe charged that men had continued to dominate the political arena.

She said the women movement was concerned that only few women had taken the mantle to participate in politics.

She attributed hate speech among politicians as one of the contributing factors discouraging women from engaging in politics.

“It’s so sad that men are still dominating politics in Zambia and we feel that politics of hate speech has contributed to this because women love to be respected, and they do not want to get involved in something that will make them lose their respect and worthiness,” Ms Katebe said.

She reiterated that the political field in the country had been marred with hate speech, urging political parties to stop the vice.

She appealed to political parties to co-exist and live in harmony.

Ms. Katebe noted that if hate speech was stopped, more women would be interested in joining politics.

 “There is need for women to take part in politics and the whole electoral system. So we urge political parties to desist from hate speech and instead, co-exist.

“Women are scared of the being disrespected and violence that is likely to erupt every time cadres from different political parties meet because it affects them more than anyone else and they cannot even defend themselves from the brutality,” she said.

And Ms. Katebe called on women in politics not to feel intimidated, but showcase their worth, saying no one would give them leadership on a silver platter.

“What is depriving women leadership in this country is the syndrome that only men can lead. Who said to be a president in this county you must be a man?” she asked.

Juggling work and family is no obstacle for ambitious female banker

By ANN ZULU

THE notion of being a role model to her three children and to excel in the male-dominated banking field is what drives 34-year-old client analyst Chuma Chabala.

Stanbic Bank client analyst Chuma Chabala receives the best student award at the recent Zambia Institute of Banking and Financial Services (ZIBFS) 16th graduation ceremony.

Mrs Chabala, who works in the Stanbic Bank’s corporate and investment banking unit, says it is important for women to know that they can have a “big goal” career-wise and achieve it while looking after their families.

“I encourage fellow women to strive to constantly improve themselves professionally by exposing themselves to programmes that can help them develop their careers,” she says.

“It becomes easier when you get started with something than when you keep procrastinating because you may never fully know what potential you have.”

Mrs Chabala delicately juggles time as a client analyst in one of the busiest Lusaka banks, which involves client relationship management and research, and looking after her three children aged six, four and one.

Mixing motherhood with a demanding career requires a careful balancing act, and for Chuma this has been helped by her optimistic, problem-solving disposition – an ability to get through things even when they seem impossible.

“You just have to make time for things you deem important in life as time waits for no one, while ensuring your family is not neglected at the same time,” she says.

Recently, she had added studies to her already packed schedule and she excelled with flying colours.

Mrs Chabala was presented with the best student award at the Zambia Institute of Banking and Financial Services (ZIBFS) 16th graduation ceremony held on February18, 2017.

Her new qualifications add to the Bachelor of Science degree in computer science she obtained from the Copperbelt University.

“I had to balance time for work, study and family by being disciplined with the way I managed my time. I had to deliberately set time to be with my family and attend to my school, and stick to the times I had set. This worked for me and that is how I managed to balance it all up,” she says.

In between her busy schedules, she still found spare time for her hobbies of reading, baking and watching movies.

If nothing else, Mrs Chabala’s desire to live her dream of standing out in a sector that has for a long time been dominated by men adds more fuel to her ambition.

“I want to be a woman of excellence hence the need to advance my studies and do my best in my position at work,” says Mrs Chabala who has been with Stanbic Bank since 2006.

“My ambition to become a more valuable employee of the bank is what gave me the drive to embark on the programme I studied and to excel by being the overall best student. I had to make time despite a busy schedule of a demanding job and family life,” she said.

She’s in a good place, too, working for a bank that recognises the achievement of women.

Last year Stanbic Bank set a goal of attaining the 50-50 gender equality, which has seen most of departments in the bank being headed by women.

In October 2016, the bank held its annual Blue Diamond celebration of women bankers that brought together all its women employees from across the country with the aim of mentoring, networking and dealing with the challenges women face within the bank across the country.

Recently, the bank was recognised for supporting women entrepreneurs in Zambia by the African Women's Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) Pan-Africa.

Inaugurated in 2011 and registered in June 2016, AWEP Pan-Africa seeks to take advantage of the offerings of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) including enabling a range of duty-free products to enter the US market.

Its central thrust is to enable African women and men to participate in the American market, using regional linkages, policies and strategies.

Young Women at risk ….as HIV/AIDs remains ‘epidemic of females’.

By ANN ZULU

SINCE the start of the global HIV epidemic, women in Zambia have continued to be at a much higher risk of infection than men.

Young women and adolescent girls in particular account for a disproportionate number of new HIV infections among young people living with HIV.

According to Zambia's most recent demographic and health survey, the country’s overall HIV prevalence rate is 14 percent, with women at the forefront.

The survey further indicates that women between 15 and 49 years have an infection rate of 16 percent, while men in that age range have 12 percent.

But why are women particularly at risk of HIV?

Gender activist Gladys Mutukwa said gender inequality was one of the major factors contributing to the higher number of women infected with HIV in the country.

Ms Mutukwa noted that the vice had continued to prevent many women, particularly young women, from protecting themselves against HIV.

She explained that majority of women, whether in marriage or relationships, had no say on sexual related issues because societal norms requires them to be submissive to their partners.

“Our society expects women to be loyal to their partners even if they are in an abusive relationship or their partner is engaged in unprotected extramarital sex,” Ms Mutukwa said.

She adds that low economic and social status also left women more vulnerable to infection than their male counterparts.

“When you look at the economic position of women, it’s very low. Most women find themselves totally dependent on their male partner and that tends to limit their negotiating power in terms of safer sex,” she said.

National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) executive director Aaron Chansa believes that lack of access to education was also contributing to the high risk of HIV infection rate among young women.

He said education attainment was higher among young men than young women; therefore men were more likely to be exposed to HIV education.

“As many girls drop out of school, their male peers are more likely to access comprehensive sex education and this eventually helps them to be aware of HIV and how to negotiate relationships. So it is crucial that access to education is scaled up for women,” he said.

And Coalition of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWHA) representative Stella Chinkuli cited lack of access to healthcare services as another factor contributing to the high number young women getting infected with HIV in Zambia.

Ms Chinkuli said women face significant barriers to accessing healthcare services.

She observed that youth-friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV services were inadequate in the country.

“Lack of access to comprehensive HIV and SRH services mean that women are less able to look after their sexual health and reduce their risk of HIV infection,” Ms Chinkuli said.

She said stigma and discrimination by some healthcare professionals also created additional barriers.

“Judgmental attitudes of healthcare professionals around youth sexuality can result in the denial of healthcare services, while others are coerced into using them,” she said.

However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel of discrimination and stigma for women and HIV.

Despite the challenges there is new hope for young women in Zambia as efforts are being made by Government and various stakeholders to reduce HIV infection rate among young women.

In 2015, Government enacted the Gender Equality and Equity Bill which has become law aimed at changing the unequal structure of society. The law is intended to stop women being disproportionately affected by HIV.

The Ministry of Gender has taken the lead in ensuring that the law is fully implemented and has come up with various programmes aimed promoting girl child education and gender equality and women empowerment.

“If women are given equal space in society, educated and empowered, their chances of acquiring HIV automatically reduce because they will be able to protect themselves against infection. Government has put in place various programmes to protect women’s rights which include their reproductive health,” says Gender Minister Victoria Kalima.

And Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said Government was aware of the inadequate sexual reproductive health care services in Zambia.

In his recent ministerial statement to Parliament on HIV/AIDS, Dr Chilufya said Government had partnered with other stakeholders in ensuring women’s access to SRH and treatment services.

The response to reducing HIV infections among young women is all-embracing and non-governmental organisations have not been left out.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Coalition of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWHA) and Network of the Zambian People living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+) have also teamed up to strengthen HIV health services delivery, education and awareness programmes for women and girls.

AHF national medical director Brigadier General Lawson Simapuka feared that without early interventions to address the challenge of high infection rate among young women, a new window for another HIV epidemic might open.

Brig. Gen Simapuka said his organisation together with the other two organisations were offering financial and other forms of support for various progressive interventions such as information dissemination, HIV testing, sensitization, condom distribution and drama, among others.

“We are targeting to reach adolescent girls aged between 10 and 19, young women between 19 and 24 and other women that are both living with HIV and those that test negative by sensitizing them on HIV testing, treatment and prevention,” he said.

Even though such efforts are being made, HIV unfortunately still remains an epidemic of women and more need to be done to address the situation.

Mulenga: Extraordinary banker Woman with passion to mentor other women

By ANN ZULU

WOMEN have great potential to contribute to Zambia’s economic growth, says Barclays Bank Zambia retail and business banking director, Regina Mulenga.

Ms Mulenga believes that women could make Zambia a better place if they became bold for change and took advantage of every opportunity available.

She told this reporter that women too could make it in any field just as their male counterparts.

“Women have great potential as contributors to our country’s economic growth and as such, they shouldn’t look down on themselves. All that is needed is for them to stay focused on their ambitions,” she said.

Ms Mulenga has over 25 years wide and diverse banking experience, covering both commercial and merchant banking with prime financial institutions in key areas of banking such as finance, credit, transactional, corporate and business locally and internationally.

She started her career at Citibank Zambia in 1990 as financial control assistant and in less than two years moved on to higher responsibilities which eventually saw her take a Southern African regional role at HSBC as marketing manager, overseeing trade finance and investment banking opportunities in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.  

She first joined Barclays Bank Zambia Plc in 2001 where she served as head of trade and cash management, head of operations and SMEs until 2010, and later joined Standard Chartered Bank Zambia as general manager SME. She then re-joined Barclays as business banking director in 2014, a position she held until her appointment as retail and business banking director in 2016.

Ms Mulenga has served on several boards, contributing in a number of national initiatives such as privatisation, Citizens Economic Empowerment Framework, and Amended Agricultural Policy and Act as it relates to easing access to finance for the small scale farmers and the National Scientific and Industrial Research Policy.

Last year, she was appointed as the Diversity and Inclusion champion for Zambia and is passionate about bringing the best out of people.

Barclays Bank Zambia Plc launched the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiative during the International Women’s Day celebrations in 2008 as a way of harnessing different cultures and creating a positive working environment which accords all employees an equal opportunity to aspire, attain and excel in leadership positions.

Under the D&I initiative, Barclays has committed to enhancing gender diversity around recruitment, promotion and improving work-life balance for its workforce.  The bank also runs a Local Women in Leadership Programme (LWLP) that aims at providing support and mentorship to upcoming women who aspire to hold top positions.

Ms Mulenga attributed her success to having a positive attitude, maintaining a good work-life balance and being passionate about whatever task was at hand. 

“I believes in being bold for change and as a family woman, I am passionate about developing people through mentorship,” she said.

She said Barclays Bank had made efforts in encouraging female employees to stay focused on their ambitions by offering them the needed support through mentorship and leadership training.

“At Barclays, we believe in creating shared value which ultimately translates into inclusive growth.  The bank’s ambition, through our Diversity and Inclusion platform, is to maintain an environment that will afford all employees regardless of gender an opportunity to grow their potential to excel in leadership positions.

 “We have made strides to ensure that women are included and represented at all employment levels,” she said.

She called on the womenfolk to be bold for change and take advantage of entrepreneurship and career initiatives so that the 2030 gender parity could be attained.

A begging partnership …………………..The harsh reality of life for a little girl on Lusaka streets

By ANN ZULU

TISA Nkhoma, 15, is one of the children living on the streets of Lusaka - who do everything they can to survive - from stealing, carrying loads for a small fee and begging.

They also wipe car windows and make a little more money through the age-old practice of prostitution.

She has been living on the streets for the past two years after she lost her mother, and her father married another woman who allegedly mistreated her.

“I decided to live in the street when my mother died because my father married another woman who used to beat me. One day, she threatened to kill me, so I decided to leave the house,” Tisa said.

She told the Daily Nation that she holds the hand of “Mama Zerosi”, a blind woman in her 50s and begs for money through car windows for survival.

But Tisa is not in any way related to Mama Zerosi, they are just ‘‘business’’ partners.

She poses as the daughter of the blind woman to earn the sympathy of potential donors.

Though Tisa is young, she is an expert at her job as she has been in the begging business for almost a year now.

She said her friend introduced her to Mama Zerosi and they have been in partnership for three months now.

“My friend introduced me to Mama Zerosi and I have been begging with her for the past three months. It is scary moving in traffic but would you rather go hungry? We make more money begging with blind people than we do on our own,” said Tisa.

She said on a good day, they make up to K100 and the money is split between the two, with her getting 40 percent.

“Our agreement is that I get 40 percent of the money made on a particular day. For example, if we make K100, I get K40, while she gets K60,” she said.

And Mama Zerosi said she has had no problems working with Tisa so far and that she trusted her.

She said her family is in Mumbwa and she was motivated to come to Lusaka by her friends, who had good stories to tell about begging in the city.

“Finding a child to beg with me is not difficult, but finding one you can trust because many of them are fond of hiding the money. But so far I have never had any problems working with Tisa,” she said.

The situation of children begging on the streets is much more complicated than most Zambians think.

Though many people are used to seeing them, their situation is a flagrant violation of human rights, as guaranteed under the Children’s Act.

The growing number of children in the streets in Zambia is worrisome and the situation is likely to worsen if no strong measures are taken to address the problem.

Although there is no recent official figure on the number of street children in Zambia, a national survey indicates that the number of street children in Zambia almost doubled in 1991 and 2004.

Some children are pushed onto the streets following the death of their parents while others are running away from violence at home. Others live on the street simply because their families are too poor to look after them.

Others enjoy the freedom of the street where there are no holds barred.

The rains, the cold and the hot sun of the street come and go every year, but the streets remain home to these children and very little has been done to help them improve their quality of life.

This is the harsh reality of Zambia today.