Men, boys key players in fighting child marriage

Michael Magoronga, [email protected]

MEN and boys should play a leading role in the protection of the girl child and women as part of efforts to end child marriage and teen pregnancies.

This emerged during the belated Father’s Day celebrations in Kwekwe District where about 85 men and young boys participated.

About 150 young men drawn from across the district later convened for a youth camp at Echo Park where they also discussed issues affecting men and boys such as drug and substance abuse, mental wellness and refocusing masculinity, among other issues.
Event organiser, Katswe Sisterhood programmes officer, Miss Chengetai Chininga, said the two events were meant to remind men on how important they are in the protection of women and girls.

“We conducted the two events as a way of commemorating Men’s Mental Health month, as well as Father’s Day under our programme meant to promote skills, education and creating an enabling environment in ending child marriages,” she said.

“Under these programmes, we are engaging men, boys, community leaders, young women themselves and religious leaders as we try to end child marriage.”

Miss Chininga said the discussion bordered around boyhood, fatherhood and how masculinity can be used to protect girls and women instead of abusing them.

“So, in these engagements we seek to establish forums to enable men and boys to be able to discuss masculinity and their general wellbeing.
“How to transfer toxic masculinity, which has a ripple effect on the protection of girls and women into a positive one, which protects the opposite gender,” she said.

Miss Chininga also said they were working on establishing men’s fora across the district where men can meet and discuss their issues.
“We also have noticed that more men are committing suicide because they do have platforms to share their challenges.

“So, we are working with these communities to establish forums where they meet regularly to discuss issues affecting them as amen,” she said.
“Some prefer calling them Pachoto Chevarume, while some call it Dare Revarume and some PaBhodho Revarume depending on where they come from. But the main concept is just for men to meet regularly and discuss their issues.”

Speaking during the event, legal practitioner, Mr Bernard Kafesu from Legal Resources Foundation reminded men and boys of the need to abide by the country’s Constitution.

“Everything we do should be guided by the country’s Constitution including when getting married. We should desist from abusing young girls under the age of 18 because it is an offence to do so.

“This should also include religious sects who pounce on young girls turning them into wives, that is an offence,” he said.
Mr Kafesu said the forums should be a platform where legal issues should be discussed.

“Most communities are not in touch with the laws and their reforms. We are there to guide you whenever you have these forums, you can invite us and we help you on the laws of the land,” he said.

The two events were attended by men and boys from Zhombe and Silobela where cases of teenage pregnancies, school dropouts and child marriages are rampant.