MPs raise alarm over child marriage in Thaba-Tseka

THABA-TSEKA- Members of Parliament from Women’s Caucus have raised concern
over child marriage, teenage pregnancy, school dropouts and gender-based violence
during a public hearing held with communities in Mashai, Panteng, Ha Monyollo
yesterday.

The public hearing supported by Southern African Development Community
Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) brought Women’s Caucus closer to community
members to hear directly about challenges affecting families, particularly women
and children.
Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus, ‘Mamamello Holomo said Parliament is
concerned about the growing challenges of child marriage, children dropping out of
school and gender-based violence.

She said parliamentarians decided to visit communities to listen to their concerns
and understand the challenges they face.
“We are worried about child marriage, children dropping out of school and gender
based violence. That is why, as parliamentarians, we decided to come to the
communities and hear from you about the challenges you are facing,” Holomo said.
Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) Thaba-Tseka, Child and Gender Protection
Unit (CGPU) Detective Lance Sergeant Lintle Mankoe said one of the challenges
reported in communities is the practice of marrying off girls after they fall pregnant.
She warned parents that marrying off an underage girl because she has fallen
pregnant is a crime.

Mankoe urged parents and community members to seek advice from the police
when faced with such situations rather than arranging marriages for children.
She also raised concern about another challenge of older women who sexually
violate young boys in the name of being their “sugar mummies”.
Panteng Acting Chief Thabo Molato pledged to work with other traditional leaders to
prevent child marriages in the community.
He said chiefs would ensure that traditional practices, including the slaughtering of
sheep as part of marriage arrangements, were not used to facilitate the marriage of
children.

Molato urged other chiefs and community leaders to work together with the police to
protect children from child marriage.
Meanwhile, community member Bokang Sennenne expressed relief after learning
more about the rights and responsibilities of parents.
Sennenne said some parents had stopped reprimanding their children because they
believed doing so could result in them being arrested for violating children’s rights.
He said the information provided during the hearing helped clarify what parents are
legally allowed to do when disciplining their children.

Another community member ‘Manthabiseng Peka raised concerns about women
whose husbands prevent them from using contraceptives.
She said some women end up having many children because they are unable to
make decisions about contraception, adding that this can affect the children’s
upbringing and the attention and care they receive.
The concerns raised by the community are reflected in findings from the 2023-24
Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey which show that Thaba-Tseka faces
significant reproductive health challenges.

The survey found that 32% of girls aged 15-19 in the district had ever been pregnant
compared with 17% nationally. The district also recorded the country’s highest total
fertility rate at 3.6 children per woman while 17% of currently married women in the
district had unmet need for family planning.
This public hearing was supported by SADC-PF as part of efforts to strengthen
Parliament’s engagement with communities on issues affecting women and children.

The platform allows parliamentarians to hear directly from communities about
challenges such as child marriage, GBV, early and unintended pregnancy and school
drop outs. They will use the concerns raised to inform parliamentary discussions and
interventions.
Women’s Caucus is a parliamentary body comprising women legislators from
different political parties who unite on issues of national importance affecting
womenandvulnerable populations.