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Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
Apostolic sects have warned their members to ensure protection of minors against early marriages and bring an end to the bad practice.
The constitution outlaws child marriage and clearly puts the age of marriage at 18 years.
The scourge of teenage pregnancies and child marriage has continued to affect lives of thousands of girls in communities.
Child marriage is a violation of multiple rights of the girl child that include, the right to education, health and well-being.
The sects have been for some time accused of failing to deal with the practice among their members of marrying children.
Union of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (UDACIZA) founder Mrs Gloria Chitanda has warned church leaders to desist from encouraging and sanctioning the unlawful act.
She said there was need to continue sensitising the sects’ members and alert them to the illegality of marrying girls under the age of 18.
There was a culture of marrying under age girls within the apostolic churches.
“Apostolic sects were in the forefront fuelling child marriages, abuse and gender based violence. Most of the members have completely discarded all those evil deeds.
“We continue to support our Government. We are doing well even in challenging child marriages, abuse and gender based violence cases,” she said.
Mrs Chitanda also said they are doing well even in HIV testing saying almost everyone knows their status and some are on treatment.
She said failure to support Government’s programmes will negatively impact on the development of the nation as such she urges all members of the sects to follow and participate in all national programmes for their benefit.
Mrs Chitanda also urges all pregnant women in their sect to get services from the hospitals and desist from home deliveries to save lives.
“We are happy that we are doing well on maternal health. We are now accessing health services from the hospitals,’ she said.
Recently health expects have warned pregnant women to seek antenatal care services from formal health institutions, saying it is both dangerous and life threatening to acquire services from untrained people who cannot predict dangers that may arise during delivery.
In Zimbabwe, girls usually complete their primary school education when they are between 12 and 13 years old, a time when their bodies are not fully developed to carry a pregnancy, let alone go into labour.
Such girls are at a higher risk of birth complications that include obstetric fistula — a hole between the birth canal and rectum or bladder, that is caused by prolonged obstructed labour, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or faeces or both. Many other complications that may lead to death during or after giving birth have stalked the pregnant teens.
Young girls engaging in early and unprotected sex are not just exposed to unintended pregnancies, but are also at higher risk of HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases.
Online Reporter