Currently in Zambia, there Constitution is the same one that was forced upon them during the times of colonization and is extremely patriarchal in nature and neglects the five basic human rights for Women and Children.
Zambia’s newly elected President, Sata had promised the people of Zambia a new Constitution that would “stand the test of time” if he was elected. The people voted, and they wanted a new constitution.
The government of Zambia had drafted the first Constitution that addressed most of the rights for women and children, which was incredible. This event does not happen all the time, so I was extremely blessed to have taken part in this incredible transition time for the Women and Children of Zambia.
During my last few days in Lusaka, I was invited to participate in Zambia’s 2nd Annual Constitution Conference. It was a place where over a thousand from all over Zambia would mobilize and travel to Lusaka for the Conference.
The conference was a safe place for Women to unite their voices for a common voice and stance. The government had made accusations that the women did not know what they wanted and women were on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of issues like reproductive health and if abortions should be legal, this was a touchy one for most women, but it needed to be talked about.
Zambia prides itself on being a “Christian Nation” and from my understanding “life starts at conception”
When I was in Lusaka, I had heard of girls drinking crushed up coke bottles to abort fetuses, and drinking laundry detergent, or to poke a stick up inside, and if they seen blood, that means it was done. The lasting health effects on the girls could have been prevented if they had access to appropriate medical care and the stigma behind abortions was not heavily prevalent.
For whatever reason for Women to Abort was no one’s business, but Zambia was fighting for the rights for Women to be able to have the right to choose and be able to make decisions on their own body. The purpose of the conference was for women to discuss all aspects of these issues and to be educated and hear all points of view.
In Zambia for Women to have a legal abortion, they must get approval from three doctors, to get the ok. Let’s get real here. In the rural areas, the distance women have to travel to see one doctor is absolutely ridiculous, let alone finding three doctors to get approval, and most doctors are male.
Someone else decides your fate, and in most cases it’s a male. This just seems sad to me because gender based violence and the high rates of defilement have been increasing in Zambia and will continue to be on the rise If the constitution does not allow equality between men and women.
This blog post isn’t about trying to make Abortions legal or illegal. It’s about showing you how women do not have control of their own bodies in so many places of the world and how this new constitution will change lives for the Women and children of Zambia.
I just had so much respect for the women of Zambia for even talking about these issues and even for sharing their personal stories with me. These stories, I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
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