Two little brothers Lundu aged 4 years and Advent 2 years who were kept at Children’s Nest Orphanage in Kamunza Compound under the care of Choma District Social Welfare Department have re-united with their mothers who in 2021 were covincted for 5 years imprisonment before were acquitted by Livingstone High court Friday last week.
Lundu Munambaya and Advent Munambaya are brothers from polygamous mothers Joyce Banji and Vylet Kanga who both were accused and jailed for cattle rustling.
“We stayed in Namwala Correctional Facility for 7 Months before we were transferred to CHOMA Correctional Facility were we stayed for 3 months and later on we were transferred to Livingstone Correctional Facility were we stayed for 8 months before we were acquitted by Livingstone High Court Friday last week. An emotional Vylet Kanga told Choma Tabloid
Meanwhile Choma District Social Warfare Officer Kazembe Zyambo says there’s little sensitization on children’s rights to parents who are jailed together with their children at the correctional facility in CHOMA District.
He says children who are left with their convicted mothers in correctional facilities for so many years without them being retrieved to a sociable environment they turn out to be hardcore criminals and r@pists when they grow up.
“However in the case of Lundu and Advent we took time to counsel both their mothers on the Children’s rights while in prison,they understood and complied to have Lundu and Advent retrieved from the correctional facility to Children’s Nest Orphanage in Kamunza Compound though we were told that upon retrieving the children their mothers were crying through and through for consecutive weeks.” Zyambo narrated.
Zyambo is urging authorities in correctional facilities and the police in the district to join forces in retrieving children living with their mothers in police cells and correctional facilities to a much safer environment where their rights and freedoms such as access to health, access to education, access to good and balanced meals are not infringed.
Zyambo however admits that it is not easy to retrieve a child from the correctional facilities to a safer environment due to their convicted mothers who refuse to have their children separated from them.