Sundaymail Editor
Online reporter
Women within and outside Zimbabwe have continued to express concern over the rising cases of child marriages in the country.
This comes after 14-year-old Memory Machaya died while giving birth at a religious shrine in Marange, Manicaland Province.
Speaking during a webinar meeting, Global Business Women Organisation founder Debrah Mowlem said the family unit should play an instrumental role in curbing such societal vices, which have a negative impact on women.
“In every household a father is a rule maker so we need to approach them so that they help us. Everything starts in the family, we need to appeal to them so that they change their perspectives on child marriages.
“Children learn from what we do not what we say, this means as parents our behavior should teach them what is wrong or right. It is also the duty of us as women to teach the boy child at a tender age on how to respect women. We won’t have problems we are having right now with men marrying young girls,” she said.
Mamvura InterTrades (Namibia) chief executive Vikki Mamvura urged fathers to protect the girl child.
“I don’t believe in arranged marriages; a marriage should come out of love. It is wrong to force a girl at a tender age to get married to someone older.
“It is the duty of a father figure to protect his children from culture or religion which might be a potential harm,” she said.
Online Reporter