Walk the talk, register marriage unions

dysfunctional as has been the case in these changing times, it has also meant that to a certain extent, our society has become dysfunctional.
The main victims in dysfunctional marriage unions are the children and women whose rights are either compromised and/or abused. In order to safeguard people’s rights, a number of laws have been enacted by Parliament, but it seems as if we are still a long way from achieving the desired result of an internationally recognised marriage system between a man and a woman.
It is disturbing to learn that 84 percent of marriages in Zimbabwe are unregistered customary unions. Why? What does this say about our claims to upholding the values of the institution of marriage?
What does this also say about our understanding of the letter and spirit of the laws that Parliament enacts?
There are three types of marriages that Zimbabwe recognises: marriages solemnised under the Marriage Act Chapter 5:11; customary unions registered under the Customary Marriages Act Chapter 5:07; and unregistered customary law unions. If the registration of marriage unions has positive implications for couples and their children, why do we still have such a large percentage of unregistered customary unions?
If the same people are able to approach the courts of law to seek redress in the event of a death or divorce, why do they not feel obliged to ensure that their unions are registered? What knowledge is availed to people before they find themselves in a union? Although the registration of marriage unions has been a talking point for some time, the tragedy is that we do not walk the talk. For how long should we interrogate the issue before it is brought to  finality?
Why has it taken more than three decades to come up with solutions that will suit the three types of marriage unions? If the Registrar-General’s office is able to tell the nation that 84 percent of marriages are unregistered customary unions, why have they not been part of the solution to the problem?
Apart from Government, civil society and the church debating, are the affected people part of these discussions? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that couples register their marriage unions?
Incidentally, the problem is not unique to marriage unions. We have noted how the separation between the people and the law affects the end users when they require important national documents such as birth certificates, national identity cards and passports. Thousands of people have been affected by some unnecessary restrictions put in place when someone requires any one of these documents. It’s a likely possibility that some unions might not have been registered because some of the people do not have valid documents such as national IDs. As long as people are not made to understand why it is important for them to acquire such crucial documents, they will also not bother, and the figures will continue to grow, despite the debates. When seeking solutions to such problems we should also depart from crisis management approaches since there are dangers that the solutions we come up with might be revisited and changed after a few years.
The few resources we have should also not be concentrated on endless discussions. We have a Parliament where all citizens have representatives. Before this session of Parliament winds up business, a bill could be put  in place, and parliamentarians should seriously deliberate on this issue. We believe that the reports from previous discussions on the issue can be used to extract relevant information on the way forward.
We should also move with speed since “marriage” is currently a topical issue globally. Let us put our house in order, instead of seeing ourselves being overtaken by events. Let us fast-track the registration of these unions.