Another day, another adolescent girl has died while giving birth at yet another apostolic sect shrine in Zimbabwe.
The world yesterday celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child to increase awareness on gender inequality faced by girls worldwide, and yet the system of care and protection has continuously failed the girl child, to protect her from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
The maternal mortality statistics of adolescent teen mothers who die while giving birth at shrines in Zimbabwe underscores how society has failed the girl child, especially the vulnerable young girls.
The recent story of a 15-year-old girl who died while giving birth at a shrine in Bikita has exposed the continuous exploitation of minors and further puts the spotlight on the practice of child marriage especially within the apostolic sects.
While Zimbabwe is a signatory to international and regional human rights protocols, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which all speak of the protection of children and ensuring that their rights are respected, what is more worrying is the trend of such unresolved cases of harmful social and cultural/religious practices that affect the welfare, dignity, normal growth and development of the girl child which continue with impunity.
There can never be any sustainable development achieved if our young girls are not safe, particularly in these religious spheres where they ought to find comfort. Perhaps there isn’t enough political will and social cohesion to take action against perpetrators.
Safety is not just a law and order issue, it is much more, with its long and firm roots in the mindsets and the society at large.
The perception of and the role of women in society needs to change; young girls need to be given the opportunity to develop their full potential as equal members of society.
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This is not just a women and girls' problem, it is a social problem, and an unfolding tragedy which if not addressed will cause everlasting nightmares on the victims. Thus, interventions must change from a tokenistic approach to providing real time solutions and of course equitable maternal health intervention services even at religious centres to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Perhaps the “Good Samaritan” laws globally around drug and substance use should also be adopted around maternal health as relates to shrines and traditional and or spiritual births attendants.
We know the shrines exist; and we know religion and culture are at the core of human existence; but young girls cannot continue to fall prey to these heinous violations of their rights in the name of religion and or culture.
