I STAND FOR THE GIRLS ... PLEASE JOIN ME
By Ally Saleh
Many people have come to the defence of young girls who get into wrong side and become pregnant while still at school be it at primary level or secondary one and thus cut off from following their educational programs.
Thus means not only dreams but also hopes are dashed and buried in a grave that most of them would not be able even to trace as they grow old and lament only. But then lamenting will not be enough because their lack of education might be an obstacle to their development and end up in the poverty cycle.
Most people believe that pregnancy in young girls is never wanted but these young females are caught at a time when they are not only naïve but also at an age where foolishness is only thing they do. And on top of it both young men and those of old age with good cash flow pry on these innocent souls and and trap them.
Some feel it is cruel to blame a girl of 13 or even 16 and 17 to have willingly made a choice of entering sex life and hence with no education to protect herself from becoming pregnant but even from being passed with HIV AIDS or any other sexual transmitted diseases.
A month ago a debate ensued at the Parliament about change of the 1971 Law of Marriage Act in order to change marriage age in Tanzania and a big shout was recorded with two opposing sides arguing their cases with no results. Those who refuse lean on morality and those who want it be raised to be 18 lean of reality.
There not even consensus with the Cabinet Members as the then newly appointed Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs Professor Palmagamba Kabudi took a cautious approach saying the government was still synthesizing the issue while Minister for Women and Health Ummy Mwallimu skipping out of official Budget presentation notes indicated that things were moving on to effect changes.
But while the debate is still raging in the public domain with consensus being sought with activists charging time was up for the changes, the traditionalist especially those with religious inclinations have been saying this was only going to happen over their dead bodies.
The latter’s argument is that if a girl was pregnant and returned to classes after delivery will poison the others on their habits, which tends to assume that the only bad thing is to become pregnant ignoring the very act of having sex which is not committed only by the girl who becomes pregnant but many and most others around her.