The role of the United church of Zambia in combating early marriage of girls in Isoka district of Zambia.
Loading...
Date
2023
Authors
Chisenga, Douglas
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Early marriage is a familiar phenomenon in many countries in Africa. It is a harmful traditional practice, a human rights violation that not only denies young girls a choice of whom to marry but also exposes them to psychological, social, health and economic risks. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) in combating early marriage of girls in Isoka District, Zambia. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: to establish the factors that influence early marriage of girls in Isoka District, to examine initiatives put in place by the UCZ in order to combat early marriage of girls and to analyse combating measures put in place by the Church to combat early marriage. Guided by Pilcher and Imelda’s (2008) radical feminist theory, which regarded patriarchy as the primary cause of women’s oppression, the study adopted a case study research design and was informed by primary data obtained through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Snowball and purposeful sampling techniques were used to select participants. Research findings showed that age at first marriage, lack of financial support services and
poverty, among others, significantly influenced early marriage of girls in Isoka District. The study concluded that lack of education had negative effects on people’s ability to access and use the information given on the consequences of early marriage. The study further concluded that the UCZ had programmes in which they worked with the boys and girls and the community and reviewed policies that touched on women’s lives. However, the initiation of young girls into puberty stage (chisungu) was indicative enough that the people of Isoka District were still attached to traditional patriarchal beliefs and practices, which compelled them to force their daughters into early marriage. The study recommended that the government should ensure that every district has recreational and skills training centres where young people could be kept busy and avoid early marriage, especially after dropping out of school.
Description
Thesis of Master of Education in Religious Studies.