WEDNESDAY, 2ND OCTOBER, 2019 ZAMBIAN PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZED THE ROLE OF THE MABOSHE MEMORIAL CENTRE – MMC IN ADVOCTING TO LAW MAKERS TO MOVE A PRIVATE MEMBER’S MOTION WHICH IS URGING THE GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE FREE SANITARY TOWELS TO GIRLS IN RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

“According to the Maboshe Memorial Centre – MMC report. The Zambian parliament has unanimously adopted a motion for the free distribution of sanitary pads in rural schools, although the motion is not law, it means the government must provide funds for the distribution of sanitary pads in the 2020 budget. The move comes after Maboshe Memorial Centre – MMC carried out a survey study on PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT (MHM) AND SANITATION FOR SCHOOL GOING GIRLS IN RURAL SCHOOLS in 2019 observed that most menstrual products are expensive and pupils in rural areas cannot afford to buy them. The survey study urged the Ministry of Finance to consider removing customs duty and value-added tax on menstrual products and questioned why poor female students are not entitled to free sanitary pads when condoms are distributed free of charge. The survey study also urged the Ministry of Finance to consider national budgets allocation for the distribution of more than 14,000 sanitary towels in rural schools, which government had not yet released the money”.

MOTION SANITARY TOWELS PROVISION Mr Speaker: At the outset, I would like to say that I have permitted the hon. Member for Chembe to use the Clerks- at-the-Table facilities to present his Motion. Mr Mwale: Hear, hear! Dr Kopulande (Chembe): Mr Speaker, allow me to express my gratitude and profound appreciation to you, for giving me this opportunity to move this Private Member’s Motion urging the Government to provide free sanitary towels to all girls in public schools. Sir, let me point out that from the outset that this Motion borders on girls child empowerment… Mr Speaker: Order! Initially, you just move the Motion and it needs to be seconded before you give your reasons. Dr Kopulande: Most obliged, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker: Is the Motion seconded? Mrs Chinyama (Kafue): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion. Dr Kopulande: Mr Speaker, allow me to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to you for giving me an opportunity to move this Private Member’s Motion which is urging the Government to provide free sanitary towels to girls in public schools. Sir, let me point out from the outset that this Motion borders on girl/child empowerment and is aimed at closing the gender gap in education attainment that arises from lack of access to basic sanitary products and appropriate conditions by a girl/child and especially so, in rural and poor areas of our country. In this regard, I wish to request all hon. Members to support this non-controversial Motion aimed at educating our nation through the education of our young women who are the future mothers of Zambia. Mr Speaker, let me remind the hon. Members of this august House that the genesis of this Motion was from my maiden speech which I presented on the Floor of this House on 1st November, 2016, soon after the people of Chembe gave me the mandate to represent them in this House and to speak not only for them, but for all the citizens of our land including their children whose welfare need to be improved through various Government initiatives. Sir, having observed the high girl/child school drop-out rate in Chembe and other rural areas, I called on this House to introduce the distribution of free sanitary pads to school girls in rural and poor areas of our country. This is simply because from my observation, this was clearly one of the major causes of the problem. Mr Speaker, I argued then, and do so now that if we could distributer free condoms which are a matter of choice, what more the sanitary pads where there is no choice. You will agree with me that education is fundamental human rights that everyone must be given an opportunity to enjoy at the very least up to elementary level. As you are aware, education has a potential to transform lives of individuals, families and societies at large. Further, education helps people who acquire knowledge and skills to enable them get employed and start private business, earn an income and improve their living standards. In other words, education improves the quality of human resources who are required for the social economic development of any nation. It is an effective means for ending the poverty vicious cycle, reducing inequality and enhancing the well-being of an entire society. Sir, the link between education and sustainable national development is, therefore, undeniable as been clearly demonstrated by the South-East Asian countries commonly known as the Asian Tigers, where the World Bank found a possible correlation between public investment in education levels and rate of development. It is for this reason that governments are investing a lot of resources in ensuring effective protection of the right to education. Mr Speaker, I wish to acknowledge the achievements that the Government has scored over the years in promoting access to education. This has been through the enhancing of schools infrastructure and the implementation of policies such as free primary education, national policy on education, re-entry policy and the trading policy. The Education Statistical Bulletin shows that in the period, 2013 to 2017… Interruptions Mr Speaker: Order! Hon. Member, just give me a minute. There are too many conversations going on. You may continue hon. Member. Dr Kopulande: Sir, the education statistical bulletin shows that between 2013 and 2017, there was an increase in Grade 9 completion rates from 61.5 per cent in 2013 to 71.7 per cent in 2017. Grade 12 completion rates also marginally increase from 31 per cent to 31.8 per cent over the same period. In terms of schools dropout rates at primary level, there was a reduction from 1.8 per cent to 1.5 per cent. Mr Speaker, as a result of these efforts, the United National International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported Zambia to have achieved near-universal primary schools completion levels. Notwithstanding these achievements, gender disparities in education attainment are still prevalent, sadly so. Overall, girls continue to be at a disadvantage with a considerable number of them dropping out of school at primary or secondary levels. In terms of transitions to high school, girls have a relatively poor record due to many reasons including lack of sanitary facilities. Sir, allow me to highlight some of the pertinent issues relating to this challenge. It is a fact and we are all aware that a good number of our girls, especially in rural areas cannot afford and do not have access to safe sanitary products. This has prevented them from engaging effectively in daily life activities, whether school or carrying out their normal responsibilities such as domestic, social or otherwise during the menstrual period. Mr Speaker, with regard to schools attendance, a significant number of girls have had to miss class and lose learning time, which has negatively affected their academic performance. Statistics obtained from the Women for Change (WFC) indicate that on average, a girl is absent from school for four days in a month, which makes thirteen days of learning time lost in one term. In one academic year, therefore, a girl will lose about thirty-nine school days more than fourteen per cent of the total learning time allotted. Mr Speaker, in this scenario, can we really expect girls to perform to the same standard as their male counterparts who, all things being equal, enjoy 100 per cent of the time allocated? Can girls in this situation be in a position to advance with their education to higher levels? The people of Chembe Constituency have an answer. It is an unequivocal “no,” simply meaning that the girls cannot do it. Girls are clearly at a very huge disadvantage compared to their male counterparts, and this is for no reason of their own making, neither is it because of any failure whatsoever on the part of their parents. They are where they are purely because of their biological make-up over which they have absolutely no control and without which fact none of us would exist. Mr Speaker, is it, therefore, fair and just, that the facilities that we the policy-makers provide in our learning institutions should discriminate against girls? Again, the answer is “no.” At least I do not think so, and neither do the people of Chembe Constituency. For us to sit in this august House and do nothing about the situation is tantamount to perpetrating an injustice that will curtail the productive lives of our girl/children and condemn them to all manner of injustices such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), sexual abuse, child-marriages and complete social exclusion. It is, therefore, betrayal of the future mothers of our nation. Sir, the girl/child, the people of Chembe and all the rural and poor people are gravely concerned about our inaction. With that, they ask whether or not it is morally right for the Government to take affirmative action that will give equal opportunity for both boys and girls to advance in their education without interruption from natural predisposition. Yes, we should, and indeed we must, because the amount of learning time lost by girls seriously undermines our efforts to achieve gender-inclusive development all because of a natural condition to which we are able to respond to as a nation. As policy-makers, we must make a difference.

Sir, while trying to avoid getting into details here, let me illustrate the seriousness of the problem that our girls in rural and poor areas experience when their time comes. In order to manage their menses in the absence of hygienically proven sanitary towels, some girls tend to relay on crude, improvised materials which are, in most cases, unhygienic, ineffective and uncomfortable, hence posing serious risks to their health. To illustrate how disparate the situation is in Zambia, especially in rural areas let me make reference to a research on Menstrual Health Management that was conducted in the Western Province by the Maboshe Memorial Centre - MMC. This research was only undertaken this year in 2019, and it revealed that many school girls in the Western Province lack access to menstrual sanitary products and facilities such as water, toilets and changing rooms that would allow them to manage their menses in a more hygienic and dignified manner. Further, it was reported that in a bid to manage their menses, stuffing and other unhygienic ways that could even be threatening to their health are used during the time. This situation is, however, not only unique to the Western Province, it is a common phenomenon for many girls around the country, especially in rural and poor areas. Despite the dangers, these girls have no choice but to do this. The impact of failure to effectively manage their situation weighs heavily on a girl’s emotions, privacy, integrity and self esteem. Sir, I am sad to alert this House that in extreme cases, some girls have committed suicide as a result of being shamed by their friends when they are on their menstrual periods. For example, on 11th September, 2019, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that in Kenya, a 14 year old girl hanged herself after being shamed by the school teacher and her friends for staining her uniform during menses. Now, may be let me repeat this. The BBC reported that in Kenya a 14 year old girl hanged herself after being shamed by the school teacher and her friends for staining her uniform during menses. Surely, should we wait until we lose young lives because of a challenge to which the solution is within our hands? Remember that that Kenyan girl could have been your niece, granddaughter, or God forbid, your own daughter. Yes, she could as well have been your daughter or another relation. Mr Speaker, the big lesson here is that the young girls are fragile. They deserve to be treated with care and dignity. It is our duty in this House, therefore, not only to speak for them but to protect them, make their lives better today and create a path for them into their future. Therefore, we must find a solution that adequately addresses the problem and contributes to a progressive Zambia that promotes girl/child education. Mr Speaker, I dare move that one of the immediate solutions that is solely in our hand now is for this Government, the listening Patriotic Front (PF) Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, to provide the young girls in rural and poor community schools with free sanitary towels. This will guarantee their uninterrupted education and a future full of promise, as they will become equal participants in the development process of the nation. Mr Speaker, let me hasten to mention here that the challenge of inadequate sanitary amenities is not exclusive to Zambia. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), one out of ten girls in African schools skip or drop out of school completely due to lack of menstrual products and poor access to proper sanitation. Numerous research and projects have been conducted, and have shown the negative effects that non-supply or inadequate supply of menstrual sanitary products has on female education achievement.

Sir, the University of Oxford conducted such a research between 2008 and 2009 in schools across Ghana in remote rural areas, urban inner city schools and peri-urban areas. The research found that girls attending schools in several inner city schools and remote areas reported that they stay home during the entire length of their menstrual periods due to fear of the embarrassment associated with soiling themselves during their menses. The study also found that girls who were supplied with sanitary pads recorded increased school attendance, ability to concentrate in school, higher confidence levels and increased participation in a range of other school activities. However, the study noted that while this intervention may not necessarily address many negative, entrenched attitudes towards girl/child education on our continent, it might, nevertheless, have significant impact in the short-term on the educational achievements of the girl/child and positively impact other related negative outcomes such as early pregnancies and marriages, child-trafficking and so on. Sir, again in Ghana, a study which was undertaken on Menstrual Health Management (MHM) by Water/Aid revealed that about 95 per cent of girls in rural areas do not attend school during menses. As a result, the coalition on menstrual hygiene petitioned the government to consider incorporating the supply of free sanitary towers into the senior high school policy, and this was done. Mr Speaker, in an article published by the Global Citizen, a Kenyan movement involved in ending extreme poverty, it was reported that 1 million girls are forced to miss school due to lack of access to menstrual hygiene products. To address this challenge, the government of Kenya enacted legislation to ensure that free sanitary towels are provided to girls in schools. Mr Speaker, in South Africa, a study undertaken by the Stellenbosch University Law Clinic found out that about 30 per cent of girls in South Africa do not attend school during their menstrual periods. Like Kenya, the government of the Republic of South Africa reacted proactively by annually allocating resources in the national budget to provide sanitary towels to low-income communities. In addition, Value Added Tax (VAT) on menstrual products was removed in order to make them more affordable for the female citizen. Mrs Chinyama: Hear, hear! Dr Kopulande: Sir, other countries that have taken action to address the challenge of school absenteeism by girls as a result of menstruation, include Botswana and Namibia. In Botswana, a law was enacted to provide free sanitary towels to all schools. In Namibia, the government launched a project in 2017, to provide free sanitary towels to 5,000 girls from low-income communities every month. Mr Speaker, several other African countries have taken similar steps to enhance the quality of education by promoting good hygiene and sanitation. Zambia should emulate these efforts to ensure that the girl/child is empowered and protected. Our failure to address this challenge has grave repercussions not only in the education sector but in other socio-economic development sectors. I will endeavour, briefly, to highlight some of the repercussions that the inaction brings on this subject. Sir, non-intervention has numerous consequences on our country’s development:  It will impede economic growth because it will lead to limited supply of skilled and productive labour required for various socio-economic activities;  It will widen gender inequality levels and lower standards of living. When girls are not educated, they tend to have low aspiration levels and engage in low-paying jobs such as domestic work, restaurant service, farm work, or worse still, prostitution. These jobs tend to make them feel marginalised and inferior to men;  It increases the levels of poverty in society as in developing countries, women play a critical role in taking care of families and tend to be breadwinners. However, if they do not attain the required education for them to earn enough income, they are unable to take good care of their families  Inaction will undermine the progress that has so far been made in achieving gender equality through the implementation of various policies and legislation as earlier alluded to.

Mr Speaker, further, if the Government does not respond favourably to the menstrual challenges of girls, Zambia risks not achieving the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);  Goal No. 3, which is aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages;  Goal No. 4, which is aimed at ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promote life-long learning;  Goal No. 5, which seeks to achieve gender-equality and empower all women and girls;  Goal No. 6, which is aimed at ensuring availability and sustainability of water and sanitation for all; and  Goal No. 8, which is aimed at promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full productive employment and decent work for all. Sir, given the above development implications arising from girls skipping school due to lack of sanitary materials, there is need for us, as legislators and representatives of the people we swore to serve, to urge the Government to put in place, measures that will effectively address the challenge. I propose that the following measures, among others, be undertaken: Amendment of the Education Act like Kenya did in order to:  Provide for free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels to every girl/child registered and enrolled in a public, Government-aided, or community educational institution in rural and poor areas who have reached puberty and provide a safe and environmentally sound mechanism for disposal of the sanitary towels;  Provide for the employment or secondment from the Ministry of Health of qualified female health professionals in both medical issues and psychosocial counselling to public, Government-aided or community educational institutions in rural areas; and  Ensure availability of sufficient funds in the National Budget for the acquisition of sufficient and quality sanitary towels to every girl/child registered in a public institution  Remove the 5 per cent customs duty and VAT currently charged on menstrual products in order to make them more affordable for the female citizenry. I am very sure that the consequent revenue loss will not rob the Treasury  Provision of tax incentives to any investor wishing to manufacture sanitary products in Zambia so as to encourage investment in this area and help lower the cost of the final product to the womenfolk  Engagement, in the immediate future, of our co-operating partners, international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), churches and civil society organisations to support this initiative with sufficient resources to ensure programme success. I am confident that these organisations will respond positively, this not only being a development cause but also a humanitarian one. Sir, I am aware that in response to my call in my maiden speech, as acknowledged by the then Minister of Finance, Hon. Felix Mutati in his Budget Address to this House on Friday, 11th November, 2016, the Government, in the 2017 Budget, allocated resources to provide free sanitary pads to 14,000 pupils in sixteen districts. The same was also provided for both in the 2018 and 2019 National Budget. Sir, sadly, according to the information available, no funds have ever been released towards the sanitary pads programme. We have slackened in our commitment made in 2016, hence this Motion, which should serve as a reminder to the Government to fund this important imperative. Further, the Government must go beyond providing free sanitary towels by also ensuring that schools are gender-friendly. School infrastructure must be appropriate to allow girls to adequately and hygienically manage their menses. In every school, there must be provision for privacy, running water, soap, space for washing hands and clothes as well as places for changing and disposing of materials used for managing menses. This will ensure that fundamental human rights to education, privacy and dignity of a girl/child are protected. Mr Speaker, we are aware that several non-profit organisations such as Maboshe Memorial Centre - MMC, Women for Change, AFRIpads, Kozo Girls and many others, have taken the step to address the problem by procuring and distributing sanitary towels to vulnerable pupils in schools, especially in rural areas. I wish to salute these organisations for the practical steps they have taken in addressing these real life situations. Mr Speaker, as the hon. Member of Parliament for Chembe, following my median speech, I with a few colleagues did set up the Build Chembe Foundation, which is embarking on the distribution of free sanitary pads in schools all around the country, resources permitting. Sir, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, Mrs Esther Lungu, for the support and encouragement she has rendered to me and the Girl/Child Education Support Programme that we are implementing under the foundation. Let me also render my sincere thanks and appreciation to the former First Ladies that are living, Mrs Vera Chiluba, Dr Maureen Mwanawasa, Mrs Thandiwe Banda and Dr Christine Kaseba Sata, for all the support they have given through their personal involvement in our programmes and events. Mrs Simukoko: Excellent! Mr Kambita: Hear, hear! Dr Kopulande: Having said that, let me hasten to add that all these private efforts are not enough. The task is simply too heavy and calls for the contribution of our entire society. It calls for the private sector, civil society, church, donor community and all women and men of goodwill who are interested in seeing a progressive Zambia in which gender equality is in practice, rather than only in rhetoric, to come forth and make their contributions. The time to stand up and be counted is now. Mr Speaker, as I conclude, allow me to emphasise that by moving this Motion, which obviously has financial implications, it is not my intention to bankrupt our already challenged Treasury, as the President clearly explained in his Official Opening Address to the Fourth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 13th September, 2019, not at all. Our able hon. Minister of Finance in his Budget Address last Friday, 27th October 2019, also acknowledged the challenges that we face in this area. While acknowledging these challenges, I must reiterate, however, the fact that educating a girl child has consequential improvements and benefits in societal productivity, thereby breaking the cycle of extreme poverty.

Sir, we should never at any one point at all think that investing in a girl/child education by improving sanitary conditions in schools is a waste of resources at the time when we are implementing austerity measures, not at all. Hence, my proposition is a win-win strategy that promotes access to education, economic prosperity, efficiency and the achievement of other critical human developmental goals, which in the long term would drive us out of perpetual austerity. Sir, I, therefore, appeal to the Government and all hon. Members of this august House to come forth from both your right and left in a multi-partisan spirit and fashion to support this Motion, which is non-controversial and is in the interest of our girls, our people and indeed our country. Mr Speaker, I beg to move. Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Hon. UPND Backbenchers: His Excellency! Mr Speaker: Order! Does the seconder wish to speak now or later? Mrs Chinyama: Now, Sir. Mr Speaker, let me thank you for giving me this opportunity to second the Motion, so elaborately and eloquently moved by the hon. Member for Chembe, Dr Kopulande, which is urging the Government to provide free and adequate sanitary towels to all girls in public schools. Sir, allow me to thank my hon. Colleague for moving this very progressive Motion. As he has indicated in his speech, the challenge of girls missing classes and in some cases dropping out of school due to lack of sanitary towels is disturbing and worrisome. Therefore, I wish to add my voice and want to encourage hon. Members of this august House to support this non-controversial and non-partisan Motion. Mr Speaker, in seconding the Motion, I want to contextualise my debate on the importance of girl’s education because we are talking about an issue that affects girls only. As people may be aware, females represent approximately half of the world’s population and form a significant global resource. Education is a human right and so, girl’s education in particular, is also a human right and a powerful tool for changing perception and belief systems. Professionally educated females tend to command more respect from the family and society because they earn an income and contribute to the welfare of their families. Sir, research has shown that a woman will earn more income if more time was spent in school. In fact, even at the national level, statistics show that a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will go up with more women having been educated. I, therefore, do agree with the mover of the Motion when he says that any effort meant to support girl’s retention in school is not a cost on our Treasury, but rather an investment for the future of this nation and an addition to the GDP in the long term. Mr Speaker, it is claimed that a mother is a child’s first teacher. An educated mother raises educated children through the transfer of knowledge and values. Therefore, investing in girls’ education, addresses challenges such as early-child marriages, Gender Based Violence (GBV), abortion and child mortality which is always being tackled with. Educated mothers are well prepared to deal with these challenges. So, when we educate the girl child, we would have actually averted the root causes, rather than dealing with the effects thereafter Mr Speaker, I want to agree with the famous African proverb which says, “if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” The mover of the Motion has clearly stressed the extent of this issue and one undeniable fact is that most of the girls cannot afford to buy sanitary towels, especially in rural areas, where poverty levels are high. In fact, poverty, as you are aware, even in urban areas now, has become quite rampant. The current situation, for instance, is that a family that earns just about US$2 in a day will not afford to buy a packet of ten pads, which costs US$1 or there about. So, for what I call the two Ps, a pamela of mealie meal and a packet of pads, I am sure, at the present time, a family will opt to buy a pamela of mealie meal and not look at the issue of pads. This is, therefore, denying the girl/child an opportunity to go to school and draw the equal advantage as the boy/child does. Mr Speaker, we have heard from the mover of the Motion that this issue of menstrual periods makes girls stay away from school for something like thirty-nine days on an annual basis. That absence, itself, causes the girls eventually to fall out of school. The mover of the Motion has well challenged us not to allow for such an issue to happen which the Government can tackle. Menstruation is a reproductive right. It is a natural thing which cannot be prevented. It is, therefore, our obligation as leaders to do something about it so that we can support our girl/children to attend school in order for them to achieve the best. Mr Speaker, the question, therefore, is; why should we continue watching girls being deprived of their basic rights? Successive governments, as we have heard, have devised laws and policies to address unequal access to education. However, today, these laws and policies will not achieve the intended purposes if the challenges such as lack of sanitary towels are not addressed. Posterity will harshly judge mothers and fathers in this august House, if we do not use this rare opportunity to support this Motion for the Government to begin to do something about this very crucial aspect pertaining to the education of our girl/children. Mr Speaker, in addressing the issue of lack of sanitary towels, we are also raising awareness and emphasising on the importance of educating the girl/child with the benefits that arise from there as I have already alluded to. Increasing access to and reducing gender disparities in education will result in increased numbers of people who do not only achieve their basic rights, but also develop a human resource that supports the bigger society. As already indicated, women are brought on board who constitute half of the population on this world, then a very important human resource carried along to contribute to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means that if women are left behind, the productive contribution that the women and girl/children can make to the economy is being taken away. Mr Speaker, as I conclude, allow me to reiterate the challenge of lack of sanitary towels as one of the inhibiting factors for girls’ attainment and that this particular issue needs to be addressed urgently. The starting point and building on the appeal of my hon. Colleague is that the Government must begin to provide these very important commodities to the girls in schools at no cost. I know that this is a period of austerity measures and that there are difficulties in mobilising resources. However, this is also demonstrated by the fact that in the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Budgets, when the Government made that commitment, no disbursements of funds were done, as my hon. Colleague has mentioned. I have not had a chance to look at the current Budget for 2020 because Volume I that I have does not include education. Therefore, I do not know whether or not there is a provision in the 2020 Budget. If it is there, I hope it will be honoured this time around. Mr Speaker, I hope that this particular Motion will help the Government to be able to commit resources in a practical way and avail them to the provision of free and adequate sanitary towels in schools. If money remains a question, I am aware that the global community is committed to providing support for the girl/child education. This is one matter that I am sure the global community would want to help us. I speak from experience and knowledge, having sat on the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) body. This is a multilateral funding mechanism for education only and the agenda for this global body puts girls’ education first. Whichever country is able to put up a bankable plan to access these funds which are meant to support the girls’ education will get them. I hope that the hon. Minister will take that direction if the National Budget will not be able to sustain this very important aspect which we are discussing today. With those few remarks, Mr Speaker, I, therefore, end my debate and appeal to the hon. Members to support this Motion. I thank you, Sir. Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the mover of this very critical Motion. I also would like to thank the seconder of the Motion. I will be succinct and clear. Sir, in supporting this Motion, I think that reality always has to dawn. What is the achievability of this Motion? This Motion was once brought to this House in form of legislation through the 2017 Budget that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government dubbed ‘Zambia Plus.’ Hon. Felix Mutati came to this House and indicated that the Government had made a plan for that year to provide sanitary towels to school children in the rural areas. We have done an assessment of the performance of that particular pronouncement and our findings are that it was a still-born baby. Important as it was, nothing happened. Mr Speaker, so, in supporting this Motion, the hon. Member of Parliament for Chembe can bank on me and those who are like-minded to be emotionally attached to this particular drive that he is pushing because girl/children are mothers. They are not just girl/children. As a matter of fact, we must not shy away from discussing menses because this is a process that brings out life. Therefore, it is a sacred natural activity. Hence, we need to support this kind of thinking. I thank Hon. Kopulande for reminding the Members of this Government that it had actually cast it into law. No sooner had this House passed the 2017 Budget, than Hon. Mutati came to the House with an Appropriation Bill which we enacted into law. A law is a binding set of rules that compels people to behave in a certain manner. The question is, why did it not happen? The simple reason is that the Government that we have is not serious. Interruptions Mr Nkombo: The idea was cast into law. However, there was not even an explanation why this law was not only forgone, but abandoned. In that fiscal year, we should have actually learnt that, at least, in a particular area of this country, certain children benefited from sanitary pads or towels, but it did not happen. Mr Speaker, this brings me down to the centre of my debate. I am sure many of the hon. Members know Abraham Maslow who brought the theory called Maslow’s Theory of Psychological Needs. The hierarchy of human needs is pyramidal. As human beings, we need air water, food and shelter. All of these are things that matter to human life. I can assure the House that this issue that is under discussion here ranks at the bottom end to the Patriotic Front (PF) on the Maslow’s hierarchy. Why should they bring out something that they cannot achieve? Why should they bring flamboyant statements indicating that they will be providing sanitary pads to girl/children and then fail to buy even one? Sir, let me bring the argument close to home. For this particular Motion to work, there is need for us as hon. Members to agree on certain things. For example, we should ascertain what sanitary pads are made of. They are made of a certain fabric. Do we produce that fabric in this country? Unfortunately, Zambia does not produce even a match stick. At this point in time, Zambia under the leadership of the PF does not produce even a toothpick. Laughter Hon. Government Members: Question! Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, we have local industries. Let me say something without abusing anyone, we have local companies such as Sobi Industries which started a long time ago. It produces toilet paper and this company needs to be supported. Therefore, before the Government could bring an idea which could be made into law, it should speak to operators in such an industry who could manufacture sanitary pads, locally. If one went into any shop in town, he/she will only find Maxi Plus and Always brands of pads that are produced away from this country. Following Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs, this could have been achieved a long time ago if we had a serious government in place. Mr Speaker, let me share the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs according to the PF. There is no way we can dignify our girls and ensure we avail sanitary towels if our hon. Colleagues on your right are going to continue as business as usual. They are inflating prices of things that we do not need such as fire trucks. The amount of money that was used to acquire buying fire trucks is a lot. The cost of one fire truck, a million dollars, would have serviced the whole country even with imported sanitary pads. Hon. Member: True! Mr Nkombo: I want someone to argue that a million dollars could not have bought sanitary pads which are cheap. They are disposables. If we cannot do this, we could approach the same industry that I talked about so that we try to do something that can work for us for now. We can make re-usable sanitary pads which have enough absorption capacity and can be washed. This way, after they are used they can be put away and when the next menstrual cycle comes, the child can use them again.

Sir, there are no innovations from the people who make policies. There is nothing. I would like to say well done to the hon. Member for Chembe for bringing this Motion. However, for the group of people he is with, this is a farfetched Motion. They have no solution for this. When a serious Government, like the United Party for National Development (UPND) comes into power … Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear! Mr Nkombo: … these are the matters that we are going to deal with like one is having porridge in the morning with little or no effort whatsoever because they sit right at the heart of the dignity of human beings. This is doable, and for the PF Government Members to have come in 2017 and make this proposal, they knew it was doable. Mr Speaker, Hon. Chinyama, Member of Parliament for Kafue and also the mover, spoke about the good will from co-operating partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Yes, this good will starts traction in a normal society that is free of corruption. For example, the social cash transfer scheme was smoking gun of money which is being embezzled. Do you think that the co-operating partners can give you money which you are going to embezzle in the pretext of wanting to help a girl/child? The answer is no. We have to first clean up our governance style, financial prudence and target to ensure that we achieve the dignity that we are trying to seek for the girl/child. Sir, the stuff which the hon. Member for Chembe spoke about is alarming. It is alarming in the sense that he gave examples of some girl in Kenya who committed suicide because of the stigma that is associated with bleeding and yet it is a natural phenomenon. We shy away from talking about such things. Mr Speaker, probably, in this country, the social shame that goes with a child leaking menses onto her dress is untold. The effect of the amount of ridicule that they get from colleagues and male counterparts is probably not just reported in this country, but it is blacked out. This is a serious matter and we need to support it at every step of the way and everyone should play their part. Mr Speaker, both hon. Members spoke about the enterprise that the co-operate world can help. How can they help in the midst of high taxes? The PF Members on your right promised lower taxes, but today, the country is suffering from the highest levels of tax since it became a Republic. People have no extra money to support corporate social responsibility even towards human kind. Sir, these are the few things that I wanted to state and this is achievable. To the hon. Member for Chembe and the hon. Member for Kafue, I would like to say that this issue can only be achievable with a government that is selfless and full of love for humanity; a government that has got compassion and feels that imiti ikula empanga, meaning that small trees grow into a forest. Similarly, the young children grow to be the future of a nation, however, for as long as they are neglected, they will not grow. Mr Speaker, this should not only apply to a rural child. Right now in Zambia, towns such as Lusaka, Kabwe and some towns on the Copperbelt are most highly urban populated and there is squalor. Squalor is one of the highest descriptions of poverty. They cannot afford anything, they scavenge and they should not be excluded from this programme. For now, it is befitting, Hon. Kopulande, I would love to have a hard and soft copy of your proposal so that when we take over power from the PF in 2021, we can implement such brilliant ideas instantly. Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear! Interruptions Mr Nkombo: We can implement them. Right now, what is going on with our hon. Colleagues in the PF is that they are fire fighting loans that they borrowed indiscriminately. They cannot even afford this programme. They are running a Budget of K6 billion because 90.1 per cent of the Budget that we are dealing with today is going to debt service and paying Civil Servants, 10 per cent to health which is part of this sanitisation that we are talking about. The Government cannot even provide water for its citizens today and yet water is a basic need. Hon. Government Members: Question! Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I think let me rephrase my statement to be a bit fair. The Government cannot provide adequate water to its citizens because it has over-priced the boreholes. The sinking of boreholes costs K14,000 but it has increased the price to K50,000. Therein, lies a difference of K36,000, if K14,000 is subtracted from K50,000. It is possible that in a year, K36,000, can be enough to buy sanitary towels for one community. Mr Speaker, as I conclude, wastefulness on the part of Patriotic Front (PF) is one of the reasons Zambians must quickly rethink. They must quickly have a rethink on whether or not they should maintain the status quo of having people holding the purse strings of the country in the image of PF. The earlier the change the quicker we are going to achieve the dictates of this particular Motion. I thank you, Sir Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to add a voice on this important Motion on the floor of this House. At the outset, I would like to state that there are Motions which can be politicised and some which are so essential such that a clear line away from politics must be kept. This is because they speak to the very call and essence of the reason that the people elected us to come to this august House and make decisions that will better their lives.

Mr Speaker, this afternoon I will not speak as hon. Member for Choma Central, but as the Chairperson for the Men’s Network in Support of Gender Equality group here at Parliament. Therefore, allow me to adopt the submissions of Hon. Kopulande, Hon. Chinyama and Hon. Nkombo. With that adoption, I proceed to state that it will be unreasonable for me to continue to debate on a matter that is straight forward. I think the whole House has agreed that this Motion is in good faith, and non-controversial. Additionally, the hon. Member for Chembe politely reminded the Executive not to make undertakings for the citizens which they have no capacity to deliver or in the event that it fails to fulfil. I think that that is the gist for this Motion. It is to remind the Executive that they made undertaking in 2016 in the 2017 Budget and made budgetary provisions for free sanitary towels. They have not come back to this House to tell us about the pronouncements which they made, what went wrong and why they failed. Mr Speaker, I do not want to politicise this issue. I think that the hon. Member for Chembe has done a decent and honourable thing as a member of a ruling party to remind his hon. Colleagues. This is the way it should be. Allow me to say that, us as United Party for National Development (UPND) members are not like PF. When a Motion which has been moved on the floor of the House is good, we will be readily available to support it. As you have seen, even Hon. Nkombo has supported it. I do not think that there can be anyone who will disagree with this noble Motion. Mr Speaker, as for the PF, no matter the nobility of the Motion,.... Ms Mulenga: He is answering! Mr Speaker: Order! Hon. Mweetwa, resume your seat. What you are doing now is that you have veered off from the Motion. You are talking about how these Motions are treated and how the behaviour is conducted. If it is a straight forward Motion, and making this point to the whole House, we should not spend too much time on this subject. I mean, even looking at this entire list with me – there is no controversy here. I want to move on very quickly with this, I suppose the hon. Member is finishing off. Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, I just have one more point to make that as Men’s Network following the workshop we had with the Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC) two weeks ago, we were looking at sexual and gender based violence. Something very important emanated out of that discourse where it was agreed that this House needs to begin to look at harmonisation of the marriage laws in Zambia. This is because we have two different sets of laws speaking to different ages concerning the marriage age. Therefore, giving lies in many instances to early child marriages which the mover of the Motion mentioned. So, I would like the hon. Minister to respond and also be able to breathe some air on child marriages as to whether this Government has any intentions to consider enacting a law on this particular issue. Mr Speaker, given that this is a non-controversial Motion and we are all in support of it, I cannot continue debating. I thank you, Sir. Mr Speaker: Surely, and I will allow the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the hon. Minister of General Education, on the right, in that order, to speak to the Motion then the hon. Member for Chembe, who is the mover of the Motion will wind up debate. The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Ms Siliya): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you most sincerely for this opportunity to add my voice to a very important Motion. I believe that this is not a Motion that is looking for victory from either sides of the House but it is a Motion for us to make progress. It is not a Motion which is asking us to substitute support of one need in society for another. However, the Government supports the girl/child education in the nation. Mr Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the hon. Member for Chembe for being a champion on girls, women, and family issues, including national issues. I believe that this is a very innovative Motion. The fact that this Motion is being brought to this House by a member of the Patriotic Front (PF), I think that this is a true reflection of how transparent the party in Government is, and even for allowing for such kind of discourse to happen. It is said that water is life and sanitation indeed is dignity. Mr Speaker, I believe that the statements made by the former hon. Minister of Finance in 2017, on this matter was a clear demonstration of political will. The time has come for the right thing to be done, and for political will to translate into action. This is why this matter has been brought back in this House by the Patriotic Front (PF). Mr Speaker, we feel a great sense of responsibility as a quotation says, “what you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” The question is; what are we doing for the girl/child in this society? Sir, I would also like to thank the seconder of this Motion who spoke passionately. In the question of what have we done for the girl/child, I am aware that the hon. Minister of Finance is already making headway in speaking to young entrepreneurs in society such as urban girls who are trying to manufacture re-usable pads that the hon. Member for Mazabuka referred to. Mr Speaker, the issue of the girl/child and the support that they need in terms of sanitary dignity is a very big one and it goes to the call of position of the young girl in our society and the environment in which they are, especially in the school environment. I was speaking with a counselor from Oxfam this morning. I was told that 80 per cent of the girls that they are counseling have been defiled and that is because the issue of sanitary pads goes beyond the issue of sanitation. However, it goes to the very call of our traditional beliefs that when a girl comes of age, it means she has physically or mentally matured. That is why we end up hearing of cases where girls who are in a school environment, where they are supposed to safe, are defiled by teachers or where girls in a home, where they are supposed to be safe because they have parents, they are defiled by the men whom they know in their families. Because we are hiding in the veil of a Christian nation, we keep quiet. Mr Speaker, I am extremely pleased that it is one of the hon. Members on the right side of the House who has brought this matter to this House. It has become part of the normal discourse in our society. Like the hon. Member of Parliament for Choma said, it is time we looked at the real issues that our people wants us to address. This indeed, is a bipartisan issue. Sir, I was disturbed recently when I read in one of the papers that a certain executive in a named bank had been abusing over thirty girls. If you go online, you will find a situation where one young man dared every girl to name and shame anybody who had raped them, and hundreds of names were released online. This is happening in our society on the eve of the National Day of Prayer and Reconciliation. I think we should all be rightly concerned about this. I believe that the hon. Member for Chembe is trying to crystallise the position of the girl/child in our society. The issue of sanitation for the girl/child means that she must be positioned in an environment at school and at home where she feels safe. Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Chembe said that if as a country, we are able to work with co-operating partners and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to supply condoms for free when sex is a choice, we can do the same for free sanitary pads. I believe that this Government is well-placed to act on this, and the hon. Minister of Finance, has already begun talking with co-operating partners and NGOs such as the Urban Girl, who are manufacturing pads that can be reusable. I am sure he will speak to this. It is an opportunity for business in the country to respond to the challenges that the hon. Member for Chembe has brought out. Mr Speaker, it is important to understand that the girl/child or women are 50 per cent of the world population. Us on the right side of the House do not see a substitute approach to support provision of sanitary pads for girls because it is an investment in human development. Women have to play their rightful role in our society for this economy to continue to expand. Therefore, we totally agree that we do not see this as a measure of punishment of austerity but as a responsibility of a nation that believes in its people, especially the young girl. I believe that men have to be our partners and champions on this matter because there is no man, I want to believe, who has no daughter, sister, female cousin, nieces, mothers or grandmothers. So, this is a family matter, and it affects all of us. We need a few men to be champions on this matter so that the girl/child can truly enjoy what she deserves in our country. Mr Speaker, in ending, I want to belabour one of the statistics that were provided by the mover of the Motion, which is that the girl child losses thirty-nine days of school every year because of menstruation which is not a choice. It is because of that that us on the right side are fully supporting this Motion. It is important to do the right thing and move from political will to actual action. We should be reminded that it is this same Government that wanted the nation to recognise the Bill of Rights as a fundamental right for all our citizens. This Government wants to do the right thing. We are always proud of doing the right thing on this side of the House, and that is the reason we are all supporting the Motion to provide sanitary pads and decent sanitation in schools for our girls. This is not a Motion about victory. The only victory this side is going to enjoy is doing the right thing to transform political will into action. I thank you, Mr Speaker. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! The Minister of General Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity given to me to contribute to this Motion. I also thank Hon. Kopulande, the mover of the Motion, and Hon. Chinyama, the seconder of the Motion. Further, I thank my hon. Colleagues who have debated the Motion. Mr Speaker, you could see that obviously, there is convergence of views in the discussion around menstrual hygiene management in our education system in the Republic of Zambia from the hon. Members here. As the hon. Minister responsible for general education, this is a progressive Motion which has been tabled before this august House. Mr Speaker, I will just summarise my thoughts. I want to anchor my summary in terms of the points Hon. Garry Nkombo raised, just in case the Zambian people do not know what Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is all about, to avoid confusion. Mr Speaker, there are five needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. I want to demonstrate how the President and the Cabinet here have fulfilled those needs in our Zambian schools. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory has five needs. One of them is physiological, the other one is safety, love and belonging, esteem and self actualisation. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Mr Mabumba: How does the menstrual hygiene management system apply to this debate? Mr Speaker, I think the Government, through our President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has been able to meet these needs. Under the physiological need, our children in the Republic of Zambia need shelter. At the moment, the Government is constructing 197 secondary schools to ensure that shelter is provided as part of the physiological needs of our children. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Mr Mabumba: As part of providing those schools, the Government is providing safety as well. It is ensuring that the safety is provided for our children. The children used to walk long distances of about 20 km to get to schools. If a school provided for them near to their homes, that 20 km is reduced, thereby ensuring that their safety and security is taken care of. Therefore, the schools that the Government is building are addressing the physiological and safety needs. How is it providing love and belongingness? It has done that through the reduced user fees. This is because President Lungu and his Cabinet love the children. We want them to have a sense of belong to this country because they do not have another country that they can belong to. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Mr Mabumba: That is why the Government reduced the user fees. Mr Speaker, the last need under this theory is the esteem and self actualisation. When these children reach Grade 12, they will be able to go to universities. There are so many universities in the Republic of Zambia that President Lungu and the Cabinet have been constructing to ensure that these children are able to reach their esteem and self actualisation. They can become doctors, politicians, and so forth. Mr Speaker, the issue of menstrual hygiene is one priority programme that we have in our ministry as part of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. This programme is about equity. The Government does not want children to drop out of the school system simply because they cannot afford to buy sanitary towels. That is why there is a budget provision under the school health nutrition programme, and this programme has three components. One of them is the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) component and menstrual hygiene, the other one deals with the provision of food to the schools as well as their health needs. Mr Speaker, the Government is already doing these things, but this is a gradual journey. For now, it may not be able to buy all the sanitary towels that are required in our system. However, as Hon. Kopulande alluded to, the Government has been able to work with our co-operating partners in this area. This year, the ministry had a celebration in Chongwe about menstrual hygiene. Many of our co-operating partners came on board and provided sanitary towels to many girl/children. Mr Speaker, going forward, the Government will embark on tapping resources from both domestic resources from the Treasury as well as from our co-operating partners to ensure that it continues supporting our children so that they do not drop out of our school system. Mr Speaker, the Government is already doing this programme on a progressive process. I believe that everything being equal, the Treasury as well as our co-operating partners should be able to reach out to all our girl/children in this country as we go on. Mr Speaker, I thank you and everybody who has debated. I thank you, Sir. Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Dr Kopulande: Mr Speaker, I hope I can wind up debate in ten seconds. Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to have moved this Motion – Mr Speaker: Order! Laughter Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours. [MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair] Dr Kopulande: Madam Speaker, let me start by sincerely thanking the seconder of this very important Motion. Madam, I believe that this is an important Motion because it is at the core of humanity and development. I am humbled by the unanimous support from the House on this Motion. I would like to assure Hon. Garry Nkombo that as the mover of this Motion, like I stated, in the actual Motion, I will count on the support of this House, hon. Members from both the right and left. At least, there is a matter over which we have unanimity and over which the spirit of multi-partism can prevail. Madam, the Member for Choma, Mr Mweetwa, spoke on behalf of the Men’s Network. I thank him for his support. Let not matters of gender equality be left as the preserve of women alone, but should be a preserve of both genders. I am also absolutely humbled by the support of the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ms Dora Siliya, and I must take a leaf from her and repeat her words that, while we have demonstrated political-will by supporting this Motion, there is need to translate that political-will into action. Madam Speaker, within the Motion, I attempted to outline specific action points, and I will be looking to the time when we debate the Budget in full and in Committee to see whether those action points will be implemented or not. This country has never been short of ideas, but has always lacked implementation of policy stances that it takes. However, I take this support as a Government assurance and I hope I will start seeing some action taking place going forward. I thank Hon. Mabumba for his lecture on Maslow’s law of needs, and I thank him for having explained what Government is doing in response to those needs. Madam Speaker, once again, I would like to thank the hon. Members of the House on both your right and left and commend them for the unity of purpose as demonstrated in the unanimity in support of this Motion. I thank you, Madam Speaker. Question put and agreed to