Mutoko: Grade 7 girls in child marriages

By Emmanuel Manyati

In what appears to be an intensification of early child marriages in Mutoko’s troubled resettlement area of Hoyuyu, 3 girls who had just collected their grade seven results got married to young adults who are in their late 20s.

The youngest married girl Hazvinei, born in 2002 settled with a 26 year old man from village 102 in Dhumaira resettlement community.

Another minor Tsitsi got married to Joseph Mugandari (28 years old) and both of them come from Village 28. The whereabouts of the third girl Edith remain unknown as her parents are said to be unaware of where she was married.

Hazvinei and Edith completed their grade 7 courses at Hurumutumbu primary school whilst Tsitsi was at Mushamba primary popularly known as Dhumaira.

Ethel of Nyamuzizi Primary School complained about school leavers who stalk young girls after school and propose love to them.

This is the one of the communities whose characteristics have left most Zimbabweans wagging their tongues because of the atrociousness of abuse of women’s rights happening.

There is one common thing about this heterogeneous community, they really know that the law prohibits them from marrying underage girls but their attitude is perpetual and uncompromising.

The rest of the villagers remain mute about all these unethical practices unfolding in their villages, they are strongly unwilling to make police reports because it is a one-man-for-himself the farming goes on life style.

Steven Chifeve a member of Mutoko Gender forum could not hide his anger upon receiving the bad news.

“After all these efforts to empower women in Hoyuyu, the men are still resistant’ he said.

Francis Pawandiwa the chairman of the Gender Forum suggested that all NGOs and government departments convene a Hoyuyu crisis meeting to find an amicable problematic solution.

Makaita Gurure a University Peace and Governance student said that there is an urgent need for the government and the civil society to commit more resources towards emancipating the suffering women in Hoyuyu.

According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), child marriage jeopardises girls’ rights and stands in the way of girls living educated, healthy and productive lives.

It also excludes girls from making fundamental decisions such as timing of marriage and decision of spouse.