adminDaisy Jeremani Gender Editor
THE family institution is under threat because of cohabitation, divorce, polygamy and early marriages, a Cabinet Minister, said yesterday. Officiating at the commemoration of the International Day of Families at a Bulawayo church, the Minister of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Cde Oppah Muchinguri, said it was high time society found ways to resolve conflict and live in harmony.
International Day of families was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The international day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.
Cde Muchinguri said Zimbabweans were supposed to celebrate on the day yet they were sad, confused and worried about the state of affairs of the family unit.
“The family is no longer intact and fulfilling its goals and responsibilities,” she said.
Cde Muchinguri also castigated parents for further tearing the family unit through relegating their duties to maids and letting their children become socialised by the media.
“Children are now being guided and socialised by Twitter, Facebook and music. They (parents) now over-delegate their duties to maids and no longer have time with children even on weekends,” she said.
Cde Muchinguri also bemoaned the erosion of family values so much that three month-old babies were not safe from abuse, even from their own fathers.
“It’s the role and responsibility of the family to protect each other from any forms of harm,” she said.
Cde Muchinguri urged church leaders to confer lasting and holistic solutions to issues that were affecting the families instead of wishing the problems away.
“We can pray about problems, but let’s find proactive ways to help,” she said.
In her welcome remarks, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Bulawayo, Cde Eunice Nomthandazo Moyo, said she was concerned about the gravity of gender-based violence in the city. She said the series of murder cases in recent months warranted introspection by all.
“May I therefore encourage families to solve their problems amicably and seek help from close relatives such as aunts and uncles. Families play a critical role in the socio-economic and political development of a nation”, she said.
The colourful event, which was held under the theme, “Strengthening the Family in Zimbabwe”, also saw Cde Muchinguri meeting a number of women drawn from various sectors of the economy.
Online Reporter