The Sunday News
THE United Nations in Zimbabwe is going to partner Government in its quest to accelerate efforts to end child marriages in the country, amid reports that 24 percent of girls aged between 15 and 19 years are married or in a union.
The organisation said it welcomed the Government’s commitment to align existing marriage laws with the constitution, which places the minimum age of starting a family at 18.
Mr Bishow Parajuli, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Zimbabwe said despite child marriages being 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”.
“Child marriages are not only detrimental to the development and well-being of these young girls; they also pose a threat to the very well being of this country. We must redouble our efforts to reverse this trend,” said Mr Parajuli.
In its drive to end child marriages, UN said it would play a big role in supporting the Government in the alignment of marriage laws, strengthening the child protection system to track, account and safeguard children from early marriage, enhancing girls’ retention in schools and access to skills development.
He added that through the Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (Zundaf), the United Nations remained committed to supporting the Government and its citizens in their efforts to end child marriages.
After noting that the most child marriages occur in rural areas, in districts like Chiredzi, Kariba rural, Makonde, Mbire, Muzarabani, Sanyati, and Shamva, which have a proportion of above 35 percent, UN Women Representative Delphine Serumaga said ensuring the protection of girls and women was a critical human right and economic issue that was 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.
“Child marriage is a complex and multi-faceted challenge which is often driven by economic, social and cultural factors. Combating it requires accelerating successful practices that include supporting community leaders who are proactively coming up with community-driven solutions and addressing the structural causes of child marriage by challenging gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality and equal opportunities for girls and boys.”
The UN comments follow President Mugabe’s sentiments while officially opening the 23rd Session of the Junior Parliament where he said Government would soon outlaw any marriage with a person below the age of 18.
The Marriage Act (Chapter 5:07) provides that a girl between the age of 16 and 18 may, with the joint consent of her mother and father, enter a civil marriage. The Act prohibits marriage of girls below the age of 16.
