STICK TO YOUR WIVES
…Extra-marital affairs endanger your children – Nyapachuma warns men
By Ludia Ngwadzai
THE Nyapachuma Memorial Foundation (NMF) has warned men, linking their extra-marital affairs to increased cases of gender-based violence and child abuse.
Speaking in an interview with The Mast yesterday, Nyapachuma programmes coordinator Lameck Simwanza condemned the recent incident where two children were thrown into a river allegedly by their stepmother.
Simwanza said the deaths of the two children was a result of men engaging in multiple relationships instead of sticking to their wives.
“We condemn in the strongest terms these acts that are coming out based on other related factors, with the men,” he said.
“These are consequences when we involve ourselves in multiple relationships that now come to manifest through the children,” Simwanza said.
He challenged men to “sober up” and respect their wives, ensuring their actions did not harm their families.
Children were mostly the victims of marital disputes and gender based violence (GBV) because of their vulnerability.
“Let’s ensure what we do does not affect our women,” he said.
“Our children suffer the consequences of marital disputes.”
Simwanza said Nyapachuma was urging men to take responsibility for their children.
If a relationship became toxic, it was better for the mother to care for the children or send them to a trusted relative instead of leaving them in the custody of the father or stepmother, which put them at risk.
“Women should leave with their children when leaving a toxic marriage provided they are capable of taking care of them and giving them a good life, not leaving the children with a stepmother or their father,” Simwanza said.
Zambia has been grappling with a surge in gender-based violence (GBV) cases, with children being among the most vulnerable victims.
In the first quarter of 2025, the country recorded 11,177 GBV cases, representing a 15.2 per cent increase from the same period in 2024.
Of these, 2,474 victims were children.
