A TEENAGE girl who in 2013 ran away from her family at China village in Nkasi District, Rukwa region after refusing to be married off at an early age, sat for her Form Four National Examination (Certificate of Secondary School Education Examination (CSEE) last year.
The courageous teenage girl, whose name has been withheld, refused to be married off in 2013 to an elderly pastoralist in Shinyanga region for a dowry of between 40 and 50 cattle.
After learning of her father’s intention to marry her off to the pastoralist, the girl, who was in Standard Six at the time, alerted the village leadership, which in turn reported the matter to Nkasi Central Police here in the small town of Namanyere.
Nkasi District Council Counsel and Legal Officer cum Solicitor, Mr Mbwigane Mwasipu, spoke of an inspiring incident to other girls recently during a workshop held at Namanyere Township in Nkasi district that attracted district committee members engaging in campaigns against child violence.
The daring teenage girl, according to Mr Mwasipu, was among 485,866 form four candidates who in November 11, last year sat for their form IV national examination.
The workshop was coordinated by a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), Grace Community Development and Education (GCDE) under the funding of Foundation of Civil Society (FCS).
The NGO is executing a project to eliminate violence against children in four areas of Namanyere, Nkomolo, Chala and Nkandasi.
Among the participants included religious leaders and civil servants from Ward and District Council levels. Giving more details to the ‘Daily News’ on the sidelines of the workshop, Mr Mwasipu said on the material day, the girl was taken to Nkasi District Police Gender and Children Desk for interrogation and subsequently the matter was officially reported to Nkasi District Office.
“It was there when the then Nkasi District Education Officer (Primary Schools), Mr Missana Kwangula volunteered to take the girl under his custodianship until she completed her basic education,” he said.
According to Mr Mwasipu the girl’s father was arrested and prosecuted for committing the offence.
