Pupil rescued from forced marriage
19-year-old in matric allegedly abducted and married off
A Grade 12 pupil was rescued on Monday after she was abducted and forced into a marriage.
The young woman, 19, is from Kinqashe village in Willowvale. She was married off to a 28-year-old man from Mvezo village in what is believed to be a case of ukuthwala, the practice of abducting girls and forcing them into marriage without their consent.
Children’s right activist Petros Majola, of the Khula Community Development Project in Eastern Cape, confirmed the rescue to the Dispatch on Tuesday.
Majola said the teen was taken to a place of safety.
“Our office received information that a certain family from Willowvale forced their daughter to drop out of school and become a young bride.
“With the assistance of the Butterworth SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit and Dutywa SAPS crime prevention, we arrived at the home where this girl was married.”
Majola said the pupil broke down as she told a “painful and disturbing story” of how she was forced to be a young bride.
“This is despite her request to be given a chance to finish Grade 12 at the end of this year.
“She told us she once tried to escape but was spotted and taken back to the in-laws and husband.”
Majola has been instrumental in rescuing a number of girls from forced marriages, some as young as 14.
“It worries me when these young girls are forced to leave school and become married women who will not be afforded an opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
“As a children’s rights organisation, we appeal once again to House of Traditional Leaders [Eastern Cape] to work with us, as well as the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs.”
Majola said his organisation hoped to bring in the provincial education department to assist in a programme that would create awareness in schools about gender-based violence, femicide and reporting crimes.
“Rescuing this teenager will send a message to other children who are in forced marriages to come forward and reclaim their childhood and go back to school,” he said.
Asked if a case had been opened at the time of writing, Majola said “police are still busy with it”.
Nkosi Gwazinamba Matanzima, who chairs the tradition, custom, culture and education committee of the Eastern Cape House Traditional Leaders, likened the practice of ukuthwala to “ukuthengiswa kwabantwana”, selling children.
“As the house, we don’t support this practice at all.
“This is just a bad tendency that needs to end. It’s not tradition.
“Someone of 18 years and above can make their own decisions,” he said.
“No-one should take a decision like that for their child. The law must take its course in this.”
Total Shutdown Movement co-ordinator Siyamthanda Ndlela expressed disappointment that “parents still force their children to marry old men”.
“That is not a good thing. It is really disappointing.
“I applaud the men and women in blue for rescuing her before it was too late.
“The law must take its course and those who have broken the law must be arrested.”
Social development MEC Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi’s spokesperson, Lufefe Mkutu, said: “We condemn this act, together with many other cultural practices that undermine the freedom of women and the girl child.
“We will follow up on the matter to ensure the young woman gets the necessary support in the form of counselling, and also ensure that her safety is guaranteed.
“We will ask our social workers to be close to the matter.”
We condemn this act, together with many other cultural practices that undermine the freedom of women and the girl child