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Hazel Marimbiza
For the Ndlovu family of Zvishavane, early child marriages have been curses that have dented their daughters’ hopes of a better future.
*Senzeni Ndlovu’s first daughter got married at 13. Unfortunately, she contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STI) and succumbed to the illness as a teenage bride.
After this loss, Ndlovu never anticipated that her other daughter would be enticed into an early marriage.
Then the tragedy banged on the family’s door again. *Melody Ndlovu, the family’s second daughter also got into an early marriage.
Melody was impregnated at the tender age of 14 and had to get married, thereby abandoning her high school studies.
“My first days in the marriage were blissful,” she recalls.
“Six months down the line my husband became violent. He would beat me every time he saw me talking to males he didn’t know.”
“He also had multiple girlfriends and when I questioned him about them he would slap me. Although I feared I would contract HIV I was left with no choice but to keep quiet,” she said.
About 10 years down the line, the 25-year-old victim who is now a widow and a mother of two has not recovered from the abuse which she squarely blames on her parents’ silence.
“Every time I endured hardships in my marriage I wanted to go back home but my parents encouraged me to pray so that things get better. According to our society getting married is a good thing especially if the man is rich. My mother was struggling to make ends meet so I just had to endure the abusive marriage,” said Melody.
Melody’s predicament brings back sad memories to her mother.
“Losing my first daughter to an STI at such a tender age was a painful experience. I did not want my second daughter to get married but people in the village strongly insisted that she goes to her husband since he was willing to stay with her,” said Senzeni.
Melody and her deceased younger sister are part of the countless people whose lives turn for the worst after entering marriage at a young age.
Due to their popularity especially in the rural areas, early child marriages are seldom seen as a human rights violation. Nonetheless, child marriages violate Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as numerous other human rights treaties.
According to research, in Zimbabwe child marriages are illegal; but a projected 34 percent of girls are married before they turn 18, which is the legal age at which one can get married.
The penalties for child marriages are horrendous. While their schooling and childhood are slashed short, the child brides often undergo a distressing instigation into sexual relationships. They are put at risk of domestic violence and STIs and usually their bright future is doomed.
As such, Virginia Muwanigwa, a gender and information programmes officer for the Zimbabwe Gender Commission said there was a need for more education on child marriages, especially in the rural areas.
“Parents need to be educated more about the importance of allowing their girls to continue with their education in the event that they fall pregnant while still young because in most instances they allow the girls to get married to an elderly abusive man. They should also report child marriages,” said Muwanigwa.
She added: “From our interactions with young girls, we have discovered that due to poverty, parents are encouraging their young daughters to get married or they urge their daughters to stay in abusive marriages because of fear of being humiliated.”
Our sister paper Chronicle in May carried an article that pointed out the First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa’s concern over rampant child marriage cases in Mashonaland Central.
Most of the girls were reported to be getting married between the ages of 13 and 15 and perhaps what was most disturbing was that at that age most of them could not read or write.
To curb this scourge, gender rights organisations and activists are continuously holding campaigns to reduce child marriages in the country.
(*Names changed)
Online Reporter