Approximately 1 in 3 girls in Zimbabwe are married before their 18 th birthday. Most of the affected girls come from the poorest backgrounds. 60 percent of households in Zimbabwe are headed by children. 4 percent of the girls are married by the age of 15 while 34 percent will be married by the time they turn 16 years mainly in poverty stricken families in rural areas.
About 95 000 children in Zimbabwe fall pregnant due to child marriages each year, new data has revealed. Also about 500 000 teenagers fall pregnant every year. Statistics on child marriages in Zimbabwe boggles the mind that such a country with such literacy level is still suffering from such stone age practice.
Poverty is the major cause of child marriages and this is worsened by the fact that 60 percent of households in Zimbabwe are headed by children. In rural areas like Silobela, Zhombe and some parts of Gokwe, child marriages is rampant as most of the girls get married before they complete primary school, due to different reasons ranging from poverty early sexual activities.
“ Children get married early especially in rural areas like Silobela due to poverty which is forcing some of the parents with no option but to marry their young daughters to well to do families. There have been no significant rains in Silobela and starvation is forcing young girls into early marriages in order to sustain their parents and siblings. Child marriages are slowly turning into a culture if not fashionable”, said a Teacher at Silobela High School.
At least 60 percent of girls in Gokwe are married or made pregnant before the age of 16, thereby disrupting their education. 60 percent of girls in Gokwe have got a child or get married by the time they are 16 years. In Zimbabwe, Marriage Act 5:11 states that men may marry at the minimum age of 18, while women marry at the age of 16 years. Under the Domestic Violence Act, it is an offence to marry an under age girl. However it is difficult to stop such marriages, as they are never reported to police as they have the blessings of the parents or guardians. Cases of girls dropping out of school after being married very early contradict claims that Zimbabwe has the highest literacy rate in Africa. Child marriages are also rampant in rural areas such as Hurungwe, Marange, Chipinge, Buhera, Binga and Chiredzi.
.Child prostitution is prostitution involving a child, and it is a form of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The term normally refers to prostitution of a minor or person under the age of consent. In 2017 Plan International, Child Line and other stakeholders carried out awareness campaigns in mostly rural areas across the country including Zhombe and Silobela where Child Prostitution has became rampant. In Midlands especially in areas where mining activities like Kwekwe, Zvishavane, Shurugwi, Mberengwa and areas along the Great Dyke , Child Prostitution is rampant.
The increase in numbers of child prostitutes in Zvishavane and Mberengwa has become a serious concern, particularly since the districts are leading in Hiv and Aids prevalence rates in the province. The number of children below the age of 15 years involved in sex work had increased drastically across the district.
“The recent statistics of girl-child prostitution, especially those below the age of 14 years, is now an issue of concern. If you go to local night clubs you find more than 60 percent of the prostitutes are girls below 14 years who have dropped out of school. This is a sign that awareness campaigns had not reached intended results. With the help of other stakeholders we have come up with an idea of Arts Festivals and other activities like Girls Soccer to keep the girls busy with progressive activities than going into sex work”, said an official from National Aids Council in Zvishavane. The official accused older sex workers of recruiting younger girls into prostitution.
“They collect younger girls in rural areas like Mazvihwa, Yorks, Mberengwa and give them food and accommodation, and then introduce them into prostitution business. When that young girl gets a client, she then gives 50 percent to the senior prostitute. We urge the Police to raid brothels in Mandava and arrest all young prostitutes so they can help identify culprits involved in trafficking young girls for the purpose of prostitution”, added the official.
The main causes of child prostitution are household poverty, peer pressure, negative or poor parenting, the desire to be like others, running away from unfavorable conditions at home, experimentation and early sexual debut.
