Child marriages are not only an affront to the dignity and well-being of individual girls; they also deprive nations of the social and economic benefits that derive from an educated and skilled female population, United Nations has said.
The intensification in the calls to end child marriages follows Prosecutor General Tomana’s sentiments which sparked public anger when he decreed that young girls as young as 12 must be listened to by the courts if they are willing to start families with older man because they are capable of giving consent to sex.
In a statement released by United Nation, UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe, Bishow Parajuli urged all stake holders to quickly act to the issue of child marriages.
“I call upon all stakeholders to accelerate efforts to end this harmful practice. The notion that girls, some as young as 12, are fair game for marriage should no longer be condoned in this day and age,” he said adding that child marriages are not only detrimental to the development and wellbeing of young girls but also pose a threat to the very wellspring of this country.
He also said there is need to redouble efforts to reverse this trend.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe also contends that child marriages place the girl child on high HIV risk.
“On too many occasions, girls who are married have been rendered vulnerable to HIV infection and deprived of their rights to education and to health, particularly their right to look after their sexual and reproductive health” Mr. Parajuli observes.
UN Women Representative Delphine Serumaga echoed the sentiments above when she said that ensuring the protection of girls and women is a critical human right and economic issue that are directly linked to economic growth and poverty reduction.
“Ending child marriages is not a marginal social or women’s issue only. It has to concern all of us because of its negative impact on social and economic growth,” she said.
Speaking at the same function, UNICEF Representative, Reza Hossaini, said that quality education provision for girls will aid in reducing child marriages
“Lasting change can be achieved through the provision of quality education to young girls, along with adequate social and legal protection as well as other social services.”
Statistics from the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey shows that 24% of girls aged between 15 to 19 years are married or in a union. A recent analysis of the 2012 National Housing and Population Census by the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency shows that the majority of child marriages occur in rural areas and districts like Chiredzi, Kariba Rural, Makonde, Mbire, Muzarabani, Sanyati, and Shamva, which have a proportion of above 35%.
