Chronicle Editor
Since time immemorial, some parents and guardians have been marrying off their minor girls.
The motivation was the lobola payment that came with the action.
This often happened in times of extreme food shortage, but some religious groups tended to marry off their young girls as part of their daily traditions.
The girl child was a “commodity,” safely kept to be sold off when the “owner” ran out of food or wanted to get money to send their boy child to school.
Often, the better off in society got the girls for wives.
That nothing prepares a 10, 11, 12, or 13-year-old girl to be a wife physically or emotionally did not matter.
That objectionable practice is on its way out as the Government recently came up with the Marriage Bill that, if approved, will outlaw child marriage while prescribing severe punishment on parents and guardians who marry their minor girls off.
That proposed law sailed through the National Assembly on Monday following amendments suggested by Senate last month.
After the approval of the amendments by Senate last month, the Bill had to return to the National Assembly for it to consider the changes before it was sent to President Mnangagwa for assent.
In clause 3 (1), the Marriage Bill provides that: “No person under the age of 18 years may contract a marriage or enter into an unregistered customary law marriage or a civil partnership”.
For clarity, clause 3 (2) declares that “child marriages are prohibited and under no circumstances shall any person contract, solemnise, promote, permit, allow or coerce or aid or abet the contracting, solemnising, promotion, permitting, allowing or coercion of the marriage, unregistered customary law marriage, civil partnership, pledging, promise in marriage or betrothal of a child.”
We laud Parliament for endorsing the Bill and cannot wait for the President to sign it into law so that those who will force their minor girls into marriage, rather, bondage, can get the harsh punishment they deserve.
Child marriage is globally recognised as a violation of the rights of the child and a risk factor for violence against children.
Each year, an estimated 14 million young girls are married off globally, translating to 39 000 girls every day.
One girl under the age of 15 is married every seven seconds with girls as young as 10 being forced to marry much older men.
Africa has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates after Asia.
In Zimbabwe, like other countries, girls who are married under 18 years are often the least educated, poorest and those living in rural areas.
The consequences of child marriages are devastating and often determine the trajectory of a girl’s life.
Our girls must be allowed to grow, to go to school, to go for professional training, get a job and lead higher quality lives.
They must have the right to decide when they can get married, when they can have a baby and who to get married to, not to have some parent or guardian making those big, life-defining choices for them.
No one must pretend they are being cultural or religious by finding a husband for their children when all is clear that what they want is the pecuniary benefit that comes with that action.
If they are out of pocket, they must just work harder.
Online Reporter