When Tariro Gondo was informed by her parents that she would soon move in with her aunt who stayed in town she thanked the heavens.
She never dreamt of leaving her rural life and poverty which she had become accustomed to.
Forlornly, the discreet move was planned for Tariro to substitute and save the marriage of her aunt who had failed to conceive in her two year marriage.
“My family duped me because they wanted me to save my aunt’s marriage. My dreams of pursuing my education were shattered,” she said. “I lost my soul in this trapped and loveless marriage.”
Like Tariro, rights of many children in Zimbabwe and other developing nations are being violated as they are forced into early marriages.
“Many children in Zimbabwe are forced into early marriages, and factors such as poverty, greedy and other traditional as well as cultural practices are to blame,” said Rutendo Makwira (30) from Norton.
Caroline Mhlanga, a gender activist, said religion is also a key driver in child marriages in Zimbabwe.
“Religion is fuelling child marriages in this country. In the Apostolic Sect, for instance, religion combines with traditional practices, and girls are forced to marry much older men at a very young age,” she said.
Human rights activist Chiedza Karimakwenda concurs.
“Children’s rights are being violated on a daily basis due to religion, limited access to education as well as traditional and cultural practices,” she said.
“Early child marriages inhibit the physical, psychological and emotional growth of the girl child as she is forced to adapt to the hectic demands of early marriage.
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Karimakwenda therefore equates child marriages to modern-day slavery and said the practice should be stopped if the country is to transform socially and economically.
“Early marriage is like slavery as it exposes the girl child to increased risk of violence, abuse, ill health and death. Moreso, it denies the girl her right to make vital decisions about sexual health and well being.
“Accordingly, all stakeholders should join hands and eradicate the scourge that is hindering social and economic development in this country,” she said.
Media personality Edmore Mazivofa concurs.
“Authorities should intervene and bring an end to this demon which has corroded our society. One effective way is to provide free education to children. Education, without doubt, provides children with choices and vast opportunities in life,” he said.
Mazivofa added that the society should play a big role in eradicating this problem.
Watch video below for the story of Ruvimbo Tsopodzi, one of the girls who challenged child marriages in Zimbabwe
“In Zimbabwe, just like any African country, it takes a village to raise a child. The society should therefore protect children from early marriages,” he said, urging society to be educated on the dangers of forced child marriages.
The government, added Mazivofa, should play a big role and make sure that people are respecting the Constitution and other legal apparatus and/or instruments that promote and protect children rights.
The country’s supreme law that “no person may be compelled to enter marriage against their will” and calls on the state to ensure that “no children are pledged into marriage.”
Furthermore, the Convention of Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is one instrument that discourages forced marriages.
Article 16 (2) of CEDAW provides that “marriage shall be entered into only with free and full consent of intending parties, and (partners) are entitled to equal rights as to marriage and during marriage.”
Approximately 1 in 3 girls in Zimbabwe, according to Girls not Bride – a global partnership of more than 600 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential, are married before their 18th birthday.
The government, together with faith-based organisation, non-governmental organisation, civic partners and international donors should support any move that curtails forced marriages.
One such move is the January 2016 ruling where the Constitutional Court ruled that the Marriage Act, which allowed girls as young as 16 to be married with their parents consent was unconstitutional and recognised 18 years as legal minimum age of marriage.
The government should also support campaigns launched by civil society organisations to end child marriages such as the 18+ campaign by Plan Zimbabwe, the “Give us books, not husbands” campaign by Katswe Sistahood and the “Not Ripe for Marriage” campaign by Real Opportunities for Transformation Support (ROOTS).
