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Tafadzwa Ndlovu Herald Reporter
WOMEN’S Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Cde Oppah Muchinguri yesterday said her ministry was working on a policy to improve the empowerment of the girl child and eradicate challenges faced by females.
She told journalists at a ceremony to mark the International Day of the Girl Child that the Girls Empowerment Framework policy sought to address challenges faced by the girl child in education, economic empowerment, reproductive health rights, safety and protection as well as leadership and development.
“My ministry remains committed in ensuring that the girl child is fully empowered and ensure that a conducive environment is created for the full realisation of their rights,” she said.
“We are in the process of developing a Girls Empowerment Framework which we hope will strengthen the status of the girl child in the community covering the gap on gender imbalances as well as creating a safe environment for girls.”
The commemorations were held under the theme: “Innovating for Girls’ Education” to help steer investment in the development of the girl child and enhance strategies for protecting females and combating child marriage.
“We have noticed that even if we are striving more to educate the girl child, we are still facing challenges and barriers in religious and traditional practices countrywide where we are experiencing a large number of early marriages of girls and young women,” Minister Muchinguri said.
“It has come to our attention that more girls are prone to early pregnancies which hinder further studies because of stigmatisation in schools.
“My ministry is going to deal with those issues and ensure a secure future for the girl child.”
According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS) report, 21,7 percent of girls in Zimbabwe get married between the age group of 15 and 19 while 63,1 percent marry between the age of 20 and 24 years.
ZDHS report also shows that 24 percent of young women in Zimbabwe began child bearing between 15 and 19 years.
Globally, 250 million adolescent girls live in poverty and are more likely than boys to be uneducated, making them more prone to HIV and Aids.
Online Reporter