The Zambia Conference for Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has urged parents across the country to take action and fight the scourge of immoral activities among young boys and girls.

In a statement issued by ZCCB Communications Director Fr. Winfield Kunda, the church further advised parents to take the onus of monitoring their children’s movements and instil discipline where necessary.

Fr Kunda was reacting to a News Diggers story that exposed a wild sex party in Lusaka’s woodlands area involving over 70 children between the ages of 13 and 18 years, who were later picked by police and charged for conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.

Fr Kunda said the onus of disciplining children should not be left to household maids and teachers only but that it is the duty of every responsible parent.

“The Catholic Church is concerned on the moral decay that has engulfed some teenage girls and boys as it was reported of young ones who were involved in immoral activities of sex orgies and alcohol abuse in Lusaka and Livingstone. This development if not curtailed fully and nipped, will explode and it leaves each one of us baffled as to what kind of families such children will raise in future and consequently the kind of the nation we shall have,” Fr Kunda said.

He said there was need to fight the scourge because if left unchecked, it would accelerate the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections such as HIV/AIDs.

“Young people’s getting involved in premarital sex as it was reported, should worry everyone and all us must be involved ,take action and fight this scourge because it will not just accelerate the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections or HIV/AIDs but moral degradation in Zambia. We as the Church have always insisted that the responsibility of teaching and disciplining children falls squarely on parents and immediate families. We agree with Pope Francis when he says: “It is okay to spank children to discipline them as long as their dignity is maintained” (General Audience, 2015),” he said.

“This is what we are even told in the Scriptures: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6) and “whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them” (Prov 13:24). We urge you parents to take this task seriously. Parents should be monitoring their children movements and take discipline. The onus of disciplining a child should not be left to house maids or teachers at school.”

And Fr Kunda said there was need to counsel the children who were involved in the group sex on the dangers of such acts.

“Those children that were caught in those group sex, should not be left without being counseled on the dangers of such acts and how the country of Zambia depends on them for its future. Parents should not be defensive in trying to protect them but be ready to let their children be directed in right path and be helped in moral formation of their children,” said Fr Kunda.