Source: Times of Zambia 
A young woman Lucy Nkonde (not real name), walked out of her husband's house, after enduring a two year loveless marriage in her natal village in Luwingu. 

She ran to her sister in Kasama with a view of continuing her education from grade 9 where she had stopped after failing exams and dragged into a marriage against her will 

However, she was in for a rude shock when her parents alerted all her relatives about her flight from marriage.

When she reached Kasama, family members organized transport for her to go back to her middle-aged husband who is a successful farmer in Luwingu.

News got to Kasama before she arrived. Alibutuka ku chupo- she has ran away from marriage-, a mobile phone message read a message read in ci-Bemba-alerting other family members to make plans to take her back to her husband.

However, what they did not know was that the young girl felt she was too young to be married off not to talk of the shame of being part of a harem of three wives.

Though her elderly husband was more affectionate to her than his other wives, Lucy still felt trapped in a marital prison.

 
The rates of child marriage vary from one region to another, and are as high as 60 per cent in the country’s eastern region.

The story is familiar in Zambia which is a deeply-conservative society where family disputes tend to be solved privately. What made it even more strange was that Lucy was 16 years old when she was married off.

Fortunately someone whom, Lucy a plump, matronly-featured girl had befriended brought the sad story to the attention of authorities who speedily intervened.

Despite several efforts to address the scourge, child marriage is common but has rarely been exposed in public. Lucy is among several child brides to attract the attention of authorities.

Despite the Zambia law stipulating that the legal age for marriage is 18, in some rural areas in the country girls as young as 14 to 15 are still being married off.

The media are rife with stories of child marriages triggering indignation from gender NGOs, the church and the general public.

But despite a rising tide of outrage, the fight against the practice is not easy. Hard-line traditionalist conservatives, whose influence is dimishing still uphold some deeply-rooted local customs like child marriage.

Lucy who was finally rescued from her marriage and reconciled with her aunt recalled the ordeal, speaking in a soft, childlike voice as she sat in her new home in Lusaka.

She has been re-enrolled in schools and hopes to be a nurse, something that could have been a pipe dream if she had not left her husband.

As she told her story, tears welled up her eyes making her innocent face pitiful. She recounted the domestic chores she that were heaped on her not to talk about the harsh reality of discontinuing her education.

It all started when she failed her examination and realised that her parents never made any effort for her to repeat. She then started seeing a middle-aged man who started frequenting her home and calling her mwe bakashi bandi-My wife.

At first I thought he was joking and responded by calling him 'uncle'. However, her 'uncle' objected to being addressed thus and jokingly insisted that she addresses him as husband.

One thing led to another with almost all family members getting involved in marrying her off to a rich man (by village standards)

The wedding came so quickly that no one bothered to tell her how women become pregnant, or what a wife's role is, she added.

• Zambia