Zambia: The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Northern Province Beauty Phiri has urged parents to openly discuss sexual reproductive health with their children. The administration within the province has been working hard to promote open discussion about such issues.
The province has been working hard to promote healthy sexual and reproductive practices. He officials have shared that they want to ensure that the youngsters do not engage themselves in criminal activities.
The district administration including Deputy Permanent Secretary, Phiri observed significant increase in Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases. The officials have shared that the reason for the increase Has ben observed due to people’s failure to openly discuss such subjects.
Further, the discussion of these issues at a household level will help the youngsters gather knowledge in a safe environment. She said there is a need for parents to instil such knowledge in their children earlier in life.
She added that failure by parents to discuss such topics with their children has cost a lot of lives. This is because lack of knowledge and sensitivity causes several youngsters to indulge in unsafe sexual practices.
In other cases, lack of discussion over bodily issues such as menstruation and reproductive health also leads to several persons being unable to come forward with health issues associated with the same.
“To some parents, it is still taboo to talk about sexual stories and menstruation, and this has cost us a lot of lives. Mothers should take keen interest in talking to their children so that they understand the life they are living in,” she said.
Beauty Phiri said this when she visited the Mporokoso One Stop Centre in Mporokoso District.
And Mporokoso One Stop Centre Coordinator Charity Syakuba disclosed that the district recorded a reduction in the number of gender-based violence cases in the month of June as compared with the month of May.
She revealed that 17 cases were recorded in the month of June and 29 cases were recorded in the month of May.