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By Chinoyi Chipulu
Former Ndola Pastor’s Fellowship chairperson Reverend Chilekwa Mulenga says the remarks by Vice-President Mutale Nalumango encouraging women to become pregnant and receive government support has the potential to encourage further moral decay and push women and young girls into unwanted pregnancies.
And Men’s Network for Gender and Development national coordinator Nelson Banda said it was unfortunate that such remarks came from Nalumango when the country was struggling to end teenage pregnancies.
On Friday last week, while in Parliament, Nalumango said the government was doing so much for the people of Zambia, even looking after pregnant women, hence women should get pregnant and get paid.
Nalumango said imita ufole meaning get pregnant and get paid.
These remarks have sparked debate, with people saying that all women and young girls would be encouraged to get pregnant so that they could get something from the government.
In an interview yesterday, Rev Mulenga said such remarks were unfortunate and therefore, frowned upon with the deserving contempt.
He said the Vice-President’s words were dishonorable given that she was a mother and a spouse to a respectable senior Bishop in the country which was declared a Christian Nation.
He urged Nalumango to clarify her careless remarks and project the right message that would inspire the girl child towards observing abstinence and avoid teenage pregnancy.
“Given the high poverty levels faced in the country today, her remarks have the potential to encourage further moral decay and pushing women and young girls into unwanted pregnancies for money,” he said.
Zambia remained one of the countries with a significantly high prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Sub-Saharan countries with a rate that declined slightly from 31.6 percent in 1992 to 29.2 percent in 2018 which remained for the country to work at reducing and not increasing.
Rev Mulenga said the careless remarks by the Vice- President could actually escalate teenage pregnancies, STIs & HIV cases in the country, especially for the poor girls facing economic difficulties and coming from poor homes.
“We therefore, respectfully advise Her Honour the Vice- President to clarify her careless remarks and project the right message that would inspire the girl child towards observing abstinence and avoid teenage pregnancy,” he said. “It is a shame to hear of such coming from a person we respect so much. We encourage her to reflect on her remarks and do the right thing. She is God’s maidservant called into politics to be the light and salt. We urge her to reflect the face of Christ on the political arena being a believer herself.”
And Banda wondered what message Nalumango was sending to the public.
He said lots of people might want to fall pregnant so that they could receive some money from the government.
“That money is not sustainable and government cannot manage to give it through … We need to interrogate that statement. What she would have said was to inspire the girls, and encourage those who have dropped out to go back to school,” he said.
Banda said such words were already defeating the re-entry policy because people would always want to get pregnant to benefit.
“Being the second female Vice-President, she should be encouraging other women to work hard because we also use her as an example when encouraging young girls,” he said.
But renowned pharmacist Jerome Kanyika said the Vice- President message was just taken out of context by the people.
He said Nalumango was just giving an example of how government was empowering women to an extent of giving pregnant women something.
Kanyika said the Vice- President did not encourage people to have unprotected sex but a reference on what government was doing in helping members of the community.
