A 16-year old child bride of Mutandalike village in Choma district, Southern Province has been retrieved from child marriage following an operation conducted by Musokotwane Compassion Mission Zambia (MCMZ) and its partners the Victim Support Unit and Choma General Hospital – One Stop Centre today Wednesday, 13th June, 2018.

Speaking in an exclusive interview shortly after the operation, Musokotwane Compassion Mission Zambia (MCMZ) Executive Director, Genious Musokotwane has called on rural schools head teachers and village headmen/women to remain vigilante and report cases of child marriage or plans to marry off a child in their respective communities.

He has warned that Musokotwane Compassion Mission Zambia (MCMZ) working together with the Zambian government shall not condone acts of child marriages, and that those perpetrating it shall be pursued by the long arm of the law.

Mr. Musokotwane challenges that Zambians cannot continue with practices of child marriage and at the she time cry for development adding that the scourge of child marriage has a negative impact on its victims and communities affected by this practice.

Mr. Musokotwane explains that children who are married off before their 18th birthday are deprived of their full childhood, and risk to endure poverty, hunger, gender based violence and death due to some complications attached to child birth.

Mr. Musokotwane has commended the Mundandalike Primary School administration and the local traditional leadership for reporting the matter involving the retrieved child and their commitment throughout the case.

Mr. Musokotwane tells journalists that the retrieved girl will go back to school as she was in Grade 8 before being eloped two weeks ago, while her former husband who is a juvenile school dropout has been recommended to the Victim Support Unit.