Church in Zambia calls for action on high divorce rate

The churches in Zambia have called on citizens to take action to lower the divorce rate in the country. Various reasons, including infidelity and gender-based violence, are among the reasons cited by more than 20,000 divorced couples last year.

Noting the prevalence of couples who use adultery as a reason for divorce, Rev. Masupa, president of the Independent Churches of Zambia, said that people should be reminded that “adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God”.

Infidelity, drunkenness, gender-based violence, difficulty conceiving, weight gain, and lack of access to marriage counseling are among the main factors cited by the more than 20,000 couples who divorced in 2019.

More women than men filed for divorce, and the average age of couples were between 25 and 45 years old. Other reasons for divorce cited in a report by the public daily Zambia Daily include the inability of some men to support their families and “the abuse of social media”.

These statistics are disappointing and go against biblical principles of marriage that say “only death should separate us,” said the Reverend David Masupa, president of the Independent Churches of Zambia.