A TRADITIONAL leader in Zvimba district, Mashonaland West province, has decried the rising incidence of child marriages in the area, which he blamed on parents and guardians who shield perpetrators.
Speaking during the National Women’s Day commemorations hosted by Population Solutions for Health (PSH) in collaboration with the Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development ministry in Mutorashanga recently, Chief Gibson Jenami Katizagombo sought clarity over the age of consent.
He said the 16 to 17 years age group was giving traditional leaders challenges in effecting sentences that deterred the abuse of young girls.
Zimbabwe last year passed legislation reviewing the legal age of consent for sexual relations to 18 years, thereby criminalising sexual relations between adults children.
“Children are being married from as young as 14. There are organisations, I am not shy to mention today, religious organisations are the main culprits in this phenomenon.
“There are also traditional healers fuelling this. We witness these cases in our courts, traditional healers telling their clients to sleep with a six-year-old to get cured of HIV/Aids.
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“There is an organisation that gives off young girls as brides, I want to plead to everyone to let these girls grow and get married at the proper marriageable age.
“There is the 16 to 17-year age group, this is giving us headaches in our courts. These children, after sleeping with older persons and we take them to court, there is a sort of loophole in our laws over this. It is as if they are old enough to engage in such activities at that age making it difficult for us to pass judgments.”
He warned men against preying on young girls.
“I want to let you know that you are undermining the rights of children by marrying them off at a young age. Marriage is not everything, let them grow old enough before pushing them into it.
“Young girls, please focus on your education first and do not get married before achieving something education-wise or career-wise. The time for that will come,” he said.
Over a third of girls experience sexual violence before the age of 18 in Zimbabwe and for most of these girls, the perpetrators are intimate partners.
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Marian Chombo said there was an urgent need to end the abuse of girls and women and strengthening of laws that protect them from domestic violence and gender-based violence.
“We want our girls to progress to tertiary education. We cannot continue to see girls dropping out at Grade 7. With such a qualification, there are no meaningful employment opportunities,” she said.
Speaking at the same event, Varaidzo Mabhunu, PSH Zimbabwe's marketing manager said their Give Me A Chance initiative focused on protecting girls from various forms of abuse, including early marriages.
“In this project, we are identifying the challenges that girls face and working with the community to find lasting solutions to ensure their protection. We are committed to ending schild marriages and safeguarding the future of our girls,” Mabhunu said.
Launched in 2022, Give Me A Chance aims to reduce the growing burden of child marriages, which have led to school dropouts and widened the opportunity gap between boys and girls.
The programme is being implemented in three districts, which are, Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe, Zvimba and Rushinga.
