tawandamusarurwa
Sinikiwe Marodza
DATA from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic profoundly affected the everyday lives of girls in a significant way; that is, their physical and mental health, their education, and the economic circumstances of their families and communities.
Changes like these increase the likelihood of child marriages, and over the next decade, up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of becoming child brides as a result of the pandemic.
The risk of child marriages increases through various pathways, including economic shocks, school closures and interruptions in services.
It is well known, for example, that economic insecurity can lead to child marriage as a way to relieve financial pressure on a family.
The evidence is also clear that education can protect against child marriage. Thus, school closures such as those triggered by Covid-19 may, in effect, push girls towards marriage since school is no longer an option.
According to recent statistics from Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), nearly 34 percent of girls under the age of 18 are married countrywide.
Despite Zimbabwe and the rest of the African continent’s efforts to end early and child marriages, a spike in child marriages was recorded, and statistics indicate that most child marriages mainly happened during the Covid-19-induced lockdowns.
Chifunilo Chimbwete (37) (not her real name), a commercial sex worker from Zvishavane who got married at the age of 15 and became a mother when she was 16, relives the horror she experienced as a teen wife and mom, and encourages girls to rather endure the effects of Covid-19 than getting married at a young age.
“Growing up, life wasn’t easy for me. My mother had passed on and the only parent I had was my father, so I decided to get married.
“I married someone who was way older than me. That guy abused me because I was too young to be a wife,” she said.
“At the age of 17, I became a mother and the most painful part of that phase was the fact that I gave birth alone despite being that young. I got into labour while I was alone and I delivered my child on my own.
“Life was never easy. I later on discovered that the man I married was HIV positive and I was infected. It was painful,” she said.
She went on to narrate her story: “After discovering that I was now sick, my father took me back home for like a year, then I went back to my abusive husband who never stopped abusing me.
“However, he later died and I became a widow. I was still young; I was now in my 20s. I had given birth to another child, so now I was supposed to single-handedly take care of myself and my children.
“I gave out my children to relatives so I can go look for a job as a maid. Things didn’t work out, and besides the fact that I was living far from my children pained me the most, so I took my kids and we started renting a very small room here in Zvishavane.”
She added: “Now the only option I was left with was to become a prostitute so I can support my kids. Life as a prostitute is never easy but I have no choice. I have been a prostitute for a very long time.
“My first-born is doing Form 2, I pay for her school fees with the money I get from my job. And I always sit her down telling her I don’t want her to end up like me.
“Allow me to encourage girls out there to stay in school no matter the circumstances. Some might say we are dropping out of school because of poverty. I know the Covid-19 pandemic has orphaned many children, but that is not enough reason to give up on your future or your dreams.
“Marriage or being a mother is not easy, trust me; I walked through that route, let the adults be parents.
“Girls, please stay in school. If you have the opportunity to be in school, do not trade it for anything. Those who can’t afford or finding it difficult because of circumstances, I still encourage you to not give up. Do not chose the easy path, it might seem easy but it is not as easy we think.”
While the actual number of girls that have been married since the beginning of the crisis is unknown, pre-Covid data can be used to predict the impact of the pandemic on child marriage in the near future.
Such projections can be made by examining existing patterns, as well as historical information on the effects of educational disruption, economic shocks and programme efficacy on this harmful practice.
However, despite the circumstances, ZGC chairperson, Commissioner Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe, said child marriage is a violation of human rights and action should be taken regarding the statistics.
Zimbabwe’s Constitution prohibits boys and girls below the age of 18 from marriage.
*Sinikiwe Marodza is a blogger, gender and developmental stories writer . She is also the editor for RUHUSIWA magazine that focuses on women and girls education in Africa. She can be contacted on [email protected]
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