President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that the government is in the process of introducing a Voluntary National Service programme for young people.
President Hichilema says the programme may help to instill discipline and resilience among young people to address challenges such as the proliferation of street children and also provide an opportunity for them to seek training and employment in the defence forces.
ZANIS reports that speaking at State House this morning when he met with 40 women’s groups under the Gender Machinery Framework, President Hichilema added that the programme will be rolled out based on resource availability.
The Head of State lamented that the phasing out of National Service under Zambia National Service (ZNS) and free education was a mistake that has contributed to the current issues such as teenage pregnancies, child marriages, crime and street children among others.
President Hichilema shared that he has already taken his own children to undergo military training in an effort to create resilience and discipline in them, which will benefit them in their careers and businesses.
And in response to the gender related challenges and proposed solutions advanced by the Gender Machinery, the President has ordered for the immediate establishment of a small working group to address the issues and report progress to him.
President Hichilema reminded the meeting of the devastating effects of the drought on the country’s energy sector which has slowed down economic activities and highlighted that the government is actively working to build resilience for the future.
He added that it is inadequate to import sufficient power, stating that the current infrastructure between Zambia and Mozambique, for instance, can only allow the importation of up to about 400 megawatts of electricity.
And speaking at the same meeting, Gender Division Permanent Secretary Mainga Kabika thanked President Hichilema for engaging with the Gender Machinery and prioritising gender issues.
Meanwhile, United Nations Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali also urged President Hichilema to intensify efforts to protect women in politics from abuse, especially on social media.
Earlier, representing the social Inclusion on gender cluster, Johans Mtonga called for the establishment of safe houses to allow victims of Gender-Based Violence to receive professional help without returning to abusive environments.
Mr. Mtonga also advocated for a GBV rapid response team under the Zambia Police to handle emergency cases, similar to the crime unit rapid response.
And representing the Economic Empowerment cluster, Zambia Federation of Women in Business CEO Maureen Sumbwe, called for the Central Bank to encourage financial institutions in the country to offer loans using the movable collateral policy.
Ms Sumbwe stated that women are still struggling to access finance due to the reluctance by most banks to offer such facilities, coupled with limited financial literacy.
And Anne Anamela, who represented the Policy and Legal Framework, urged President Hichilema to operationalise the Gender Equality and Equity Commission to provide oversight on gender matters.
Ms Anamela also called for a mixed-member proportional representation system to secure 26 seats for youths, 24 for women, and 10 for persons with disabilities in the National Assembly, ensuring representation from all 10 provinces.
And Chileshe Katongo, who represented the Research and Data Systems for GBV, called for the tackling of GBV cases using data- and research-driven information.
Ms. Katongo called for local funding for gender-based research to empower researchers and institutions.
Meanwhile, Chali Hambayi, who was representing the Access to Justice cluster, called for the decentralisation of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to improve access to justice nationwide.
Mrs. Hambayi also called for the establishment of a GBV fund with contributions from the private sector and funds and assets that have been forfeited to the state.
Speaking on behalf of Cooperating Partners Seth Broekmana, thanked President Hichilema for the opportunity to meet the Gender Machinery, as it provided a platform to fast-track the implementation of various gender matters.
Mr Broekmana said some cooperating partners have already secured funding to support the implementation of various gender programmes.
