Poverty breeds a legacy of child marriages

Martha Leboho

The prevalence of child marriages in Zimbabwe is higher in rural areas compared to urban areas and a correlation exists between girls in the poorest quintile with those with no or little education being distinctly more vulnerable to child marriage than girls from higher wealth quintiles and education levels, a UNICEF 2022 Report has revealed.

Oral evidence from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education on teen pregnancies and child marriages revealed that 18 916 children dropped out of primary scool in 2021 because of pregnancy, under age marriage and sexual abuse. Over 50 000 Secondary level students dropped out of school in 2021 due to reasons.

Child marriages in Masvingo range from 41% to 50%, according to the report.

COVID-19 drove many families into poverty, increasing risks of children being forced into labor and marriage. It is a common practice among communities in Chiredzi despite growing awareness of its illegality. 

 Netsai Moyo (not real name) of Chiredzi district bore the brunt of COVID-19 as she had to drop out of school when she got pregnant and was chased away from home.  

“I was 12 years old and had just started my form 1 when COVID-19 hit the country. Since we had nothing to keep us busy I started dating a herd boy. 

My father who is not formally employed would spend the whole day away hustling to feed our family , so during the day I would spend my time with my boyfriend and sometimes he would spoil me with food.

When school resumed, I went back to school. Little did I know that I was pregnant. My father sent me out to my grandmother for a weekend.

Upon seeing me, my grandmother became suspicious and examined me. She asked why my stomach was firm and I told her that I didn’t know what was causing my stomach to grow, that’s when she told me I was pregnant.

My grandmother advised my father that I was pregnant. He was enraged and sent me away from home. He said he could not no longer harbor a sexually active child.

I was then escorted to my boyfriend’s homestead some villages away. I was welcomed by his parents and they told me he had gone to Harare to look for a job. I stayed there and when he came back we tried to stay together but it was not working. 

He is not interested in me. I am emotionally hurt but I can’t go back home because my father doesn’t want me there,” she said.

Netsai is still stuck with her in-laws and she regrets getting married at a tender age. Her daily routine involves laboring for her new family.

Save the children’s Global girlhood report estimates that about 40 million girls aged 15-19 are currently married worldwide and an additional 2.5 million girls are at risk of child marriages globally between 2020 and 2025, as a result of reported increases in all types of gender based violence due to the Covid 19 pandemic, up to 15 million girls and boys will never return to school following pandemic lockdowns and school closure and children who don’t come back are at greater risk of early marriage, child labor and recruitment into armed forces. By 2030 it is estimated that 150 million girls would have lost their childhood to child marriages. 

Climate and other environmental crises are creating contexts that are putting many children across the world at greater risk of child marriages . Research and evidence from global organizations such as UNFPA have established the links between the two. Many areas with the highest rates of child marriages are also facing the greatest effects of climate change and related environmental crises. The practice tends to be common among those with the lowest access to resources and lower income, particularly in rural areas where people depend on the local environment for their livelihoods.

Chiredzi East MP Denford Masiya said poverty is  breeding a legacy of child marriages in Chiredzi as many families are child-headed and the children end up being victims of child marriages.

“Chiredzi is close to the South African border and most of the fathers have left for greener pastures with mothers in tow, leaving the family child headed. This is when the children get exposure and end up facing this kind of abuse.

Our Shangani culture does not support child marriages. We have several organizations that are currently working with children, motivating them and encouraging them to be proud and responsible for their future,” said Masiya.

Child marriage is widely recognized as a violation of children’s rights and is also a direct form of discrimination against the girl child.

In March 2022, Zimbabwe passed the long-awaited Marriage bill, which outlaws child marriages, a development that was widely celebrated as a victory. 

Some lawmakers have however said the practice still persists. Member of Parliament, Ruth Labode said factors promoting child marriages which include gender inequality, poverty, social norms and insecurity are still present and that relevant key players have to return to the drawing board to strategise enforcement methods.

Section 3 (i) and (ii) of the Marriage Act states that “No persons under the age of 18 years may contract a marriage or enter into an unregistered customary law marriage or a civil partnership and for the avoidance of any doubt, it is declared that child marriages are prohibited and under no circumstances shall any person contract, solemnize , promote , permit , allow , coerce or aid or abet the contracting, solemnizing, promotion, permitting, allowing or coercion of the marriage, unregistered customary law marriage or civil partnership, or the pledging promise in marriage or brothel of a child.”

Human rights lawyer Munyaradzi Vengesayi urged the government to embark on a countrywide campaign in educating  citizens about the dangers of child marriages and most importantly reprimanding other religious practices that sanction child marriages,” said Vengesayi. 

Chief Chilonga, Lusaka Lisenga said his community is against child marriages and their culture does not promote such. 

“Our Shangani culture teaches children about adulthood and respecting elders. It does not promote child marriage, that’s why unlike during our days the training is now done during holidays because we also value education.

We condemn child marriages and we are telling the community that perpetrators will account for this form of abuse,” said Chief Chilonga   

The UNICEF 2022 Report revealed that Child marriages have a devastating impact on the lives of girls and that they disrupt childhood and deprive girls of their right to be a child. It often leads to school drop-outs, disallowing girls to develop their full potential. Child marriages deprive girls of their rights to acquire appropriate skills to enter the labor force as adults, pushing them further into poverty. Child marriages also increase the risk of domestic violence, psychological and physical violence, including sexual violence and HIV-infections.  

My Age project officer for Girls choose project Obidience Mazenge said poverty and religion have been a push factor in the increase of child marriages. She added that her organisation is working on information dissemination on sexual reproductive health.

“Rural areas are the most affected when it comes to child marriages. In certain religions, a child is groomed to believe that she has to be someone’s wife even when she is still a child, 

Poverty has also caused the increase in child marriages where children who are raised in a poor family see marriage as a redeemer. A minor cannot have access to sexual reproductive services without a guardian and this has contributed to children getting pregnant,” she said.

The 2022 Population and housing Census preliminary report on fertility indicated that Mashonaland Central had the highest proportion of 28.8% of women who got married before the age of 18, Mashonaland West recorded 22.8%, Manicaland recorded 21.4% and Masvingo 20.5%. The proportion was 22.7% in rural areas and 7.2% in urban areas.

According to UNICEF, Zimbabwe ranks among the 20 African nations in which child marriages are most prevalent. 

The story is published with support from the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) and the Embassy of Canada in Zimbabwe under the Investigative Journalism Fund Program.