A NON-PROFIT organisation in Zambia has called for a ban on the importation and sale of second-hand underwear.
The organisation said the popular clothing items are a health hazard.
National co-ordinator of Zambia National Men’s Network for Gender and Development, Nelson Banda, said despite being banned in 2017, officials never implemented it.
Banda said the importation and sale of the items goes on relentlessly, especially in the capital Lusaka.
According to the BBC, Banda said the second-hand underwear items had the potential to transmit diseases such as typhus and STIs.
The organisation said Zambians shouldn’t be subjected to wearing second-hand underwear that has been disposed of in other countries.
It added that they deserve decent clothing.
Banda called on the authorities to protect Zambians and to help local manufacturers make cheap underwear.
The second-hand trading market, known as “salaula”, is a source of income for many unemployed Zambians.
