Traditional leaders vow to protect girl child
Sibongile Dube
HWANGE-Chief Whange has assured the Hwange community that traditional leaders will continue to protect the girl child and ensure that women’s rights are upheld.
Speaking during the Women Cultural Festival hosted by Women Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) recently held at Number 1 Old Ground, the Chief said women need to speak collectively against harmful practices such as child marriages and gender based violence that have increased alarmingly over the past few years.
WCOZ Hwange Chapter Chairperson, Sera Phiri hailed the holding of the festival which ran under the theme; “Celebrating African Women’s Resilience.’
“The festival is our gentle reminder of who we are and where we are going as African women” said Phiri.
According to reports, between January 2021 and February 2021, nearly 5 000 teenage girls in Zimbabwe became pregnant, and about 1 800 entered early marriages during the same period.
Plan International says 31% of girls under the age of 18 are married and of these, 4% were married under the age 15.
“It is our role as the community to protect the girls and women from these harmful cultural practices, and not to promote them. We commend our culture for also having in place methods of reporting and reprimanding those that are caught on the wrong side of the law ” said the Chief.
He implored the community to to engage with other cultures and learn more about the great role that women and girls play.
The Festival which attracted more than 500 women was aimed at amplifying the voice of indigenous girls and women from rural communities and provide a platform for the women to interface with relevant duty bearers and service providers as well as showcase their culture, work and achievements through music, dance, art and conversations.
