Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
CHIEF Sibasa of Insiza District in Matabeleland South Province, has made a clarion call to traditional leaders under his jurisdiction to take a firm stance against child marriages and teenage pregnancies.
Speaking during a recent rollout meeting of the “Not in My Village” campaign in his area, Chief Sibasa warned that village heads, who turn a blind eye to these illegal practices will be held accountable.
The meeting, attended by village heads and community stakeholders, marked a significant moment in local leadership’s efforts to uphold child protection laws.
“I expect every village head to be part of this programme. We don’t want to see a single child being married off in this district. Recently, I summoned someone and fined them a beast for marrying off an underage girl, and these penalties will be even harsher going forward,” said Chief Sibasa.
The chief said parents and guardians, who are complicit in child marriages will be penalised and reported to the authorities. He urged village heads to return to their communities and actively disseminate the campaign’s message, ensuring no household is left unaware.
“By the end of the year, every villager, including primary school children, should be singing the ‘Not in My Village’ theme,” said Chief Sibasa.
The campaign, spearheaded by the Government in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Young People’s Network on Health and Well-being (YPNHW), seeks to curb child marriages and teenage pregnancies in a bid to reduce HIV infections and improve youth well-being.
The national HIV prevalence rate stands at 10,1 percent, with Matabeleland South recording a significantly higher rate of 17,1 percent, a burden disproportionately affecting adolescent girls and young women.
Chief Sibasa said ending early marriages is not just about enforcing laws, but also about restoring traditional communal values that once protected children.
“Let’s return to our traditional ways of raising children, where aunts and uncles guided and protected the young.
Today, the father figures who should be protectors, are among those violating the girl child,” he noted.
Chief Sibasa also urged communities to embrace HIV testing and prevention measures. He further implored women to access antenatal care services instead of home deliveries, to ensure improved health outcomes.
Village heads present at the meeting echoed Chief Sibasa’s sentiments and called for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of child marriage, both during prosecution and after conviction. They stressed the need for clear legal frameworks that empower traditional leaders to act decisively.
The “Not in My Village” campaign, launched in 2023 during the World Population Day commemorations in Mashonaland Central, has now expanded to cover districts in Matabeleland South, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West. These include Insiza, Beitbridge, Murehwa, Goromonzi, Hurungwe, Chegutu, Mutare and Chipinge.
A key pillar of the campaign is empowering traditional and religious leaders, who are the community’s gatekeepers to lead the cultural shift against child marriages.
The initiative is in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which envisions an empowered, upper-middle-income society by 2030. Ending child marriages and teenage pregnancies is a crucial step towards achieving that vision.
