IT WAS in 1997 when the government through the Ministry of Education announced the re-entry policy to ensure that girls who fell pregnant while in school can go back and complete their education.
This was an apparent reaction to the increasing number of teenage pregnancies especially among school girls in both rural and urban areas.
In 2009, the Ministry of Education produced an Education Statistical Bulletin, which showed that there were 3,663 teenage pregnancies among school girls.
But by 2004, the number had risen to 6,528. Media reports indicate that by 2007 the figure had further risen to 11,391 before reaching 13,634 in 2009.
Today this figure has continued to rise and, therefore, it is not surprising that the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) is calling for the need for regulation of overnight prayers.
The CCZ has observed that overnight prayer meetings are contributing to teenage pregnancies and other vices.
This is why the CCZ wants overnight prayer meetings to be regulated so that teenage pregnancies and illegal sex can be curbed.
We welcome this advice which we think should be taken seriously so that wanted pregnancies and under-age sex are reduced.
It has become common knowledge that overnight prayer meetings are now a breeding ground for illegal sexual practices and in some cases alcohol consumption among some youths.
CCZ says there is need for the church leadership to regulate overnight prayers so that these prayer meetings can stop being a breeding ground for teenage pregnancies.
The idea of holding overnight prayers is good but the sad reality is that teenagers, and in some cases, even adults see this as an opportunity to engage in illicit sex.
Zambia has reduced new HIV infections in a significant way whereby almost 85 percent of HIV-positive women are able to prevent transmission of the virus to their babies.
School enrollment for girls has almost increased to 100 percent which is very good.
Unfortunately over 42 of girls are married before18 years and yet only one midwife is available for every 1,240 women.
The percentage of women with access to family planning is as low as 24 percent.
That is why it is important that teenage pregnancies are reduced to the minimum so that the girls can contribute to national development after education.
There is need for pastors and other preachers to ensure that they target their preaching messages to discourage immoral sex and the need for purity.
Now that the CCZ has said we hope that churches can take this message seriously because if they do not it will just be a matter of time before parents stop their children from attending overnight prayer meetings.
No parent would want to allow their children to go for overnight prayer meetings knowing very well that there are all kinds of immoral activities place on the sidelines of overnight prayer meetings.
It, therefore, remains the responsibility of the church elders and leaders to inculcate a culture of responsibility among their flock that illicit sexual activities are not encouraged or allowed at all.
We want the churches, pastors, reverends and other church leaders to take the message from the CCZ very seriously and urge their members to refrain from using overnight prayers as a means of engaging in casual sex.
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Overnight prayers shouldn’t be sex dens
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