A Nangoma resident, Rodgers Mwiya, has raised serious concerns about the continued sexual exploitation of girls by illegal miners, especially foreign nationals who use money to lure vulnerable girls into sexual relationships, leading to pregnancies and exposing them to sexually transmitted infections.

Presenting his submission this morning before Commissioners during the public hearing in Nangoma, Mr. Mwiya noted that although reports of sexual abuse involving girls have declined following the government’s recent crackdown on illegal mining, certain mining sites in Mumbwa District remain infiltrated by illegal miners, thereby heightening the risk of child abuse.

He urged authorities and stakeholders to implement stronger measures to curb illegal mining, stressing that it remains a major contributing factor to teenage pregnancies and child marriages in the area.