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Child marriages: Chiefs lay the law

15 Oct, 2021 - 00:10 0 Views
Child marriages: Chiefs lay the law Traditional chiefs will lead from the front by raising awareness on the negative consequences of child marriages and teenage pregnancies

The ManicaPost

Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor

TRADITIONAL leaders in Manicaland have come out guns blazing against early child marriages and gender-based violence (GBV)by barring families from accepting child brides, while also demanding brides’ identification particulars before being registered into the village, The Manica Post can reveal.

Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs’ Manicaland provincial chairman, Chief Makumbe of Buhera, whose district reportedly has some of the highest cases of early child marriages, GBV and school drop-outs — is leading the crusade.

According to statistics recently availed by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Learner Welfare and Guidance and Counselling Department, Buhera has 263 school drop-outs, while Nyanga has 320 out of the 989 cases recorded in Manicaland this year.

The upsurge in school drop-outs has been attributed to child marriages, illegal gold mining activities and school fees challenges, among other contributory factors.

The worrying trend has prompted Manicaland traditional leaders into action, and their efforts have won the support of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni, who said their model of fighting child marriages and GBV should be rolled out across the country.

Speaking during a national symposium to end child marriages hosted by Simukai Child Protection Programme in partnership with its funding partner Plan International through the18+ Project-Strengthening Civil Society to End Child Marriages in The Region of East and Southern Africa in Harare early this week, Senator Chief Makumbe said: “Every bride should present her birth certificate or national identification to the village head and headman when she is being introduced, and registered into the village.

“No family is allowed to receive or accept a person below the age of 18 years as a bride. The under-age girl should be returned back to her family in a peaceful manner. Anyone who marries a child, or who is involved in marrying off a child or accepts a child bride or groom will be fined by the headman or chief.”

He said they would continue leading from the front by raising awareness on the negative consequences of child marriages and teenage pregnancies.

“We will continuously advocate to outlaw, and criminalise child marriages within our communities.

“We shall engage and be involved in increased advocacy, sensitisation, and education of communities on matters of child marriages, and early or teenage pregnancy.

“We will draw up community charters to outline various penalties for offences related to child marriages as well as advocate the enactment of laws and by-laws that denounce and criminalise child marriages.

“On top of that, we will also devise cultural mechanisms or punitive measures that make it extremely risky, and dangerous for anybody to engage in child marriages directly or indirectly.

“These measures shall, however, be in conformity with the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” said Chief Makumbe.
He called for the banning of harmful cultural practices that continue to perpetuate, and reinforce early sexual debut, female genital mutilation, child marriage, and teenage pregnancies.

“We are advocating a revisit,and upholding of age-old customs that protect children, especially girls, from harmful traditional practices. We are also calling for the standardisation of the minimum age of consent, and marriage at 18, and the criminalisation of child marriages.

“We are committing ourselves to become ambassadors of ending child marriages, and unsparingly use the social, and public platforms to intensify campaigns against child marriages.

“We will also enhance vigilance, surveillance, and information gathering on incidents of child marriage, and gender-based violence. Above all, we will roll out poverty eradication programmes for the purposes of ending child marriages, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence,” said Chief Makumbe.

Minister Nyoni said: “I am impressed that we have chiefs committed to ending child marriages. Everyone should join hands in the fight against child marriages. You should carry on with the good work that was piloted in Manicaland, and replicate the process in the remaining nine provinces as we move in a coordinated way towards ending child marriages.

“We are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic which has resultantly led to lockdown measures meant to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

“The lockdown measures have seen children spending more time at home, and in some instances being idle without any activity to occupy them.

“This ultimately resulted in the surge in teen pregnancies and child marriages, leading to massive drop-outs from school especially among girls.

“These high figures are not just numbers, but they signify a proportion of the future generation whose dreams and aspirations in life have been shattered.”

She decried the recent death of Annah Machaya (14) while giving birth at the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church’s Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange.

“The Annah Machaya case is an indication of one of the many predicaments that our girls fall into as a result of child marriages.

Our Constitution is very clear on who a child is, and who can enter marriage, but despite that we still have young girls who are taken into marriage where they are expected to assume adult roles as brides.

This practice is destroying our young girls’ future aspirations, and it must be ended.

Child marriages leave a mental scar, as the child will be physically, psychologically, and emotionally ill-prepared for marriage.

These scars are very difficult to heal, and most of these girls develop into becoming mature women, but will still be carrying the scars, and as a result they fail to cope with the challenges that come with parenthood,” said Minister Nyoni.
She added: “It is disheartening to note that some religious practices among certain religious sects are fuelling child marriages in Zimbabwe.

“While certain Biblical instructions may be well-meaning, often flawed interpretations of religious laws stand in the way of further progress on girl child empowerment.

“We condemn in the strongest sense such practices which hinder the empowerment of the girl child. Girls need to be given an opportunity to make their own choices, and when they are given such an opportunity, they have the potential to make good choices.

“They can choose to stay in school, when to marry and how many children to bear.”

Plan Zimbabwe’s communications specialist, Ms Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, called for the speedy enactment of the Marriage Act as this will go a long way in addressing some of the challenges being met in ending child marriages.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Gender Commission is probing complaints of sexual exploitation, abuse of girls, and child marriages in apostolic churches.

Through its General Notice of 2021, the Commission stated: “It is hereby notified that, in terms of Section 5 of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission Act (Chapter 10.31), the Zimbabwe Gender Commission intends to investigate complaints of the institutionalisation of sexual exploitation and abuses of girls, and child marriages in the apostolic churches in Zimbabwe.

Further to the above notice, an invitation is hereby given to any victims or witnesses to any act of sexual exploitation and abuse and child marriages by members of any apostolic church to present to the Commission written complaints, witnesses statements, and any other supporting documents, or evidence which can assist in the investigation. Oral hearings will commence thereafter on dates to be advised by the Commission.”

 

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