Blessings Chidakwa, Senior Reporter
AT 13 and 15, two girls should have been worrying about homework, laughing with friends and dreaming about the women they hoped to become. Instead, they found themselves living as wives, carrying responsibilities far beyond their years and confronting a future they were too young to understand.
For one, the ordeal ended in a miscarriage, leaving her uncertain about whether she could reclaim the future she had lost. The other became entangled in troubled relationships and substance abuse, weighed down by regret and convinced she had ruined her life before it had truly begun.
Their experiences expose the devastating consequences of child marriage, from interrupted education and early pregnancies to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, emotional trauma, exploitation and an uncertain future that robs girls of the opportunity to enjoy their childhood and fulfil their potential.
In relationships marked by unequal power, young girls are often left with little control over decisions affecting their sexual health and well-being.
These heartbreaking accounts emerged during a counselling session with First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at the Angel of Hope Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Mbare, where young people receive support to overcome drug and substance abuse.
As a concerned mother, Dr Mnangagwa takes time to engage with children at the rehabilitation centre, listening to their experiences and seeking to understand their struggles with a mother’s compassion.
Even after arriving at the rehabilitation centre, the girls, aged 13 and 15, continued to behave as though they were married, firmly believing that no one could change their status as wives.
They exhibited unruly behaviour, including stubbornness and rudeness, and believed their lives belonged to them and that no one had the right to tell them what to do.
These attitudes are often reinforced by peer pressure and exposure to Jabhuna places associated with heavy intoxication, where young people engage in various activities and are exposed to harmful behaviours.
The First Lady identified these attitudes during her interactions with the girls and counselled them on the need to change their behaviour and take responsibility for their choices.
At the same time, she engaged the parents, reminding them to be role models and take a firm stand against such behaviour. She emphasised that every child remains their responsibility and needs love, guidance and protection.
Dr Mnangagwa implored parents not to give up on their children when they go astray, calling on families and communities to join hands in protecting children from what she described as a demonic attack on their lives and future.
The Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre is proving to be more than a facility for drug and substance abuse recovery, as it is also bringing to light other social ills affecting children, including child marriage, harmful relationships and behavioural challenges. These issues are being addressed through counselling and guidance.
In Chido’s case, not her real name, the circumstances were particularly disturbing. She said she met the man while drawing water. He invited her to sleep over at his home, using sweets and biscuits to lure her there.
“Within days, he took me as his wife. He knew I was 15 years old, but he had lied about his own age, claiming he was 20 when he was actually 25,” she said.
The girl said they moved to Mabvuku, where they lived with his parents, older brother and other family members.
She stopped attending school and assumed household responsibilities while struggling with a situation that left her afraid and unhappy.
“His mother treated me as a daughter-in-law. I would tell my father that I was unhappy, but he would tell me to persevere because I had chosen that life. I was afraid,” she said.
During her pregnancy, Chido experienced back and abdominal pains before suffering a miscarriage.
“When I fell pregnant, I experienced back and abdominal pains and eventually suffered a miscarriage. I actually don’t know what really transpired to this day,” she said.
Chido said she was instructed to conceal her age when she was taken to hospital.
“When they rushed me to the hospital, they made me lie that I was 20 years old instead of my actual age of 15,” she said.
Although she has considered returning home and resuming her education, the experience has left her questioning her future.
Her mother said the teenager had dropped out of school while in Form Two in November last year, when she met the man, whom the family knew as a visitor to their neighbourhood.
She said the family had not arranged a marriage for the girl, who had left home without her knowledge after being persuaded by the man.
The mother said the pain and heartbreak caused by the situation had made it difficult for her to approach the boy’s mother to discuss the matter amicably.
“My daughter was in Form Two and on her way to school when she met the man. He did not live in our neighbourhood. He took my daughter with him, telling her to come and sleep at his home.
“When she did not return home that night, I became worried and wondered where she had slept. When she eventually returned home, I asked her where she had spent the night. She told me she had slept with her boyfriend, who had invited her to his home,” she said.
The mother said she sought help from members of the community to apprehend the man, whom she alleged had raped her daughter and disrupted her education.
“Community members helped apprehend him, and we took him to the police, where he was arrested. My daughter was taken to hospital for medical attention.
“When the matter went to court, the man was granted bail. He denied knowing my daughter. After his release on bail, he began taking my daughter away and hiding her,” she said.
She said the family later learnt that the girl had been moved between relatives’ homes in Murehwa, Chitungwiza and Mutoko.
The mother said they eventually found their daughter with the help of her sister, who organised a search for her.
She said that while her daughter was away from home, the family learnt that she had fallen pregnant, suffered a miscarriage and been taken to a hospital in Harare.
The mother-in-law also gave her account of how the girl came to live with her, saying the teenager first arrived at her home at around 10pm.
She acknowledged knowing that the girl was underage, saying the teenager had told her she was 15. She claimed to have contacted the girl’s father, who promised to collect her but never came.
“I took care of her, but her father never came. I eventually took her in as my daughter-in-law, and she came to live with me,” she said.
She said the girl initially helped with household chores but later began leaving home without explanation. She also suspected the teenager had fallen pregnant but said she could not confirm it.
Reflecting on the experience, she urged parents to intervene promptly whenever children became involved in relationships at a young age.
“My advice is that when a child is still young, parents should take immediate action, whether or not the child is already involved in a relationship,” she said.
A childhood lost to early union.
Chido’s experience was not an isolated account.
Ruvimbo, not her real name, was only 13 when she began a relationship with a man and eventually went to live with him.
She said she had been staying with her paternal aunt when the relationship began. The man was initially described as being 18, although she later referred to him as 20.
She said he paid, tsvagirai kuno, a customary payment intended to notify her family that he was living with their daughter, although no bride price was paid.
“I was 13 years old and living with my paternal aunt when I started a relationship with an 18-year-old man. We eventually began living together as husband and wife,” she said.
Ruvimbo said her parents knew where she was and that she visited them regularly. However, she later became involved in substance abuse, eventually ending up at the Angel of Hope Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
“I was living at the home of the man who brought me here, where I was abusing alcohol. I became a nuisance to my parents. I feel I have ruined my life and disappointed them,” she said.
Her paternal aunt said she became worried when she returned from work one day and found the girl missing.
“I knew she was in a relationship with a man, so I suspected she had eloped. I later learnt that she was staying with her partner’s family,” she said.
The aunt said Ruvimbo subsequently moved from one man’s home to another, while the family failed to report the circumstances to the police.
“After leaving the first man she had been living with, she started living with another man and later moved in with yet another. It is shameful, but it is what it is,” she said.
She admitted that the family had not taken steps to report the matter to the police.
“We did not make any effort to report the matter to the police,” she said.
The aunt said the counselling session had opened her eyes to issues the family had previously taken for granted.
“We have learnt a lot. She counselled us and opened our eyes to issues we had taken for granted. She has enlightened us,” she said.
Another relative explained that the family had taken responsibility for Ruvimbo after her maternal grandmother, who had been caring for her, died.
The relative said the girl had initially stayed with another family member before threatening to have her arrested over alleged abuse.
The family later learnt that she was abusing alcohol and moving around with boys. Concerned about her safety, the relative eventually took her away from the man she was staying with and brought her to the rehabilitation centre.
“It pained me that she was still underage, so I eventually took her away from the man she was staying with and brought her here to the Angel of Hope Drug Rehabilitation Centre,” she said.
She urged families to support one another in protecting children and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet the First Lady.
“I am happy to have met Mother Zimbabwe. We now know that our children are in the safe hands of the nation,” she said.
The accounts expose the harsh realities confronting vulnerable girls, including early sexual activity, unintended pregnancies, health complications, abuse, emotional distress and interrupted schooling. These leave them bearing adult burdens before they are physically, mentally or emotionally ready.
The circumstances also highlight the painful consequences when families fail to intervene or become involved in arrangements that compromise a child’s welfare.
Protecting children, therefore, requires more than awareness. Parents and guardians must act when a child is at risk, while communities and traditional leaders must challenge practices that expose girls to exploitation and harm.
It is against this background that the First Lady launched the Not In My Village campaign, working with traditional leaders, including chiefs, to strengthen community efforts to prevent child marriage and protect the Girl Child.
The initiative is being rolled out across the country, including in hard-to-reach communities, encouraging families and local leaders to take collective responsibility for safeguarding children.
The testimonies heard during the counselling session underscore the urgency of that mission. Behind every account is a child whose education, safety and future should never have been sacrificed.
For Chido, the hope of returning to school remains. For Ruvimbo, the struggle to rebuild her life continues.
Their stories are a painful reminder that childhood cannot be recovered once it has been lost, and that protecting it must begin with those closest to the child.
No girl should have to choose between her childhood and her future. Every child deserves the chance to learn, dream and grow up free from exploitation, with families and communities standing firmly on her side.
