Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
Zimbabwe and Zambia are confronting similar challenges in the fight against child marriage, with poverty, teenage pregnancy, school dropout and limited access to information continuing to expose girls to early unions.
The issue has gained renewed attention as Zimbabwean girls’ rights organisation Shamwari Yemwanasikana expands its operations into Zambia, where it has established its head office in Lusaka.
The organisation’s director, Ms Ekenia Chifamba, said challenges facing girls in the two neighbouring countries were largely similar despite differences in their policy and legal frameworks.
She said child marriage could not be addressed through legislation alone, but required sustained community interventions focused on education, economic empowerment and the protection of girls.
“Although we have different contexts, we are seeing very similar challenges affecting girls, particularly around child marriage, teenage pregnancy and keeping girls in school,” Ms Chifamba said.
Zimbabwe has strengthened measures to protect children from early marriage, while Government has maintained policies allowing adolescent mothers to return to school after giving birth.
However, implementation remains a challenge, particularly for girls from disadvantaged households who often lack the support needed to resume their education.
Ms Chifamba said lack of childcare was one of the practical challenges facing adolescent mothers seeking to return to school.
“If a girl is expected to go back to school, the question becomes: who looks after her child while she is in class?” she said.
The challenge highlights the need for interventions that go beyond preventing child marriage to addressing the conditions that make girls vulnerable to dropping out of school and teenage pregnancy.
In Zambia, similar challenges have prompted continued efforts by Government and civil society organisations to strengthen child protection, keep girls in school and improve access to sexual and reproductive health information.
Ms Chifamba said regional cooperation could help organisations and policymakers share experiences and approaches to addressing challenges affecting girls across national borders.
The expansion into Zambia comes as Shamwari Yemwanasikana seeks to broaden its work on girls’ rights, including programmes supporting adolescent mothers, preventing gender-based violence and promoting economic opportunities for young women.
Ms Chifamba said empowerment programmes also needed to evolve in line with changes in the economy, with girls requiring skills that would enable them to participate in emerging sectors.
The focus on economic empowerment is particularly important as poverty remains one of the factors that can increase girls’ vulnerability to early marriage and other forms of exploitation.
Ms Chifamba said girls should increasingly be equipped with digital and financial literacy skills alongside traditional livelihood training.
