Child marriages — a cause for great concern in Chipinge
CHIPINGE is grappling with a shocking high number of child marriage cases, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa learnt on Friday during an interactive session with teen mothers aged between 13 and 17 years as they recounted the abuse they endured at the hands of men.
Some of the assailants, it was established, were close relatives, who reportedly raped and infected the minors with HIV, resulting in them dropping out of school.
The children poured their hearts out, highlighting in graphic detail situations like domestic violence between their parents, which forced them to run away from home.
Some of the girls said their parents forced them to drop out of school before finishing their education to work on farms or get married.
This, they said, forced them to consider getting married as a better option, leading to early marriages.
The mother of the nation was shocked to establish that children as young as 13 were getting married to equally young boys, some aged as young as 17.
During the session, the mother of the nation, who has a passion for the economic empowerment of the girlchild, heard all the challenges the young women faced, as she considered how best she could extricate them from poverty and empower them.
So touching was the event that some of the girls told the First Lady that they were victims of domestic violence at the hands of their husbands.
They also chronicled harrowing tales of how they became mothers at tender ages.
Others narrated how their relationships with their mothers-in-law were sour.
Manicaland becomes the second province which the mother of the nation visited after Mashonaland West speaking to teen mothers.
The First Lady’s aim is to tackle child marriages head-on through her national campaign.
She wants to end the scourge, which has caused many challenges and disempowered the girl-child.
Amai Mnangagwa, who pledged to assist the teen mothers to start self-help projects and send some of them back to school, implored them to reform.
Most of the children concerned were, however, dumped by their erstwhile lovers, leaving them with no option but to return to their family homes.
The First Lady also visited Chipinge to spend time with the elderly and assist them with groceries, toiletries and blankets.
She urged the community to show love to the elderly as she sows the seeds of unity.
Before engaging the community, Amai Mnangagwa first had a heartto-heart with the teen mothers, chiefs, their families, representatives from the Ministries of Women Affairs, Gender and Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, and Primary and Secondary Education.
“We have come to discuss with our daughters who left their education midway after falling pregnant. We want to hear their future plans. We want to leave them with a view of how they will proceed with life. You still have a life ahead, my children. I want you to give me a brief of what left you in your current situation,” she said.
A 16-year-old mother said she could not cope with her father, who was an abusive drunkard and always threatened to rape her.
“My father was a drunkard such that we would always be beaten up. My mother once returned to her parent’s home, running away from my father’s abusive behaviour and left me at his mercy. During this period, he would try to sexually abuse me, saying I had to provide wifely favours for him. I would spend the whole afternoon at home while he was out doing menial tasks for people, but at night, I would sleep in the forest out of fear. When my mum returned, I narrated my ordeal and she took me to my uncle to stay there. I later eloped after being sent packing from my uncle’s house,” she said.
The teen mother was in the company of her 32-year-old husband, who said he married her out of pity.
He said when they met, the girl had suicidal thoughts.
The First Lady, however, told the man that he broke the law by marrying
an underage girl.
Yet another teen mother, aged 15, narrated how she was impregnated by her aunt’s 65-year-old husband while in Form Two and was infected with HIV.
“When I was in Form One, my aunt’s 65-year-old husband started proposing love to me but I would turn him down. He later raped me towards the end of last year when I was in Form Two after spiking the juice he had given me. The matter was later reported to the police but he ran away, never to be found again. I also tested HIV positive but it seems my aunt is on her husband’s side and is bragging that he would not be arrested,” she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Amai Mnangagwa humbly pleaded with the police to assist the girl so that the alleged rapist is brought to book.
Even more jarring was the case of a 13-year-old girl who is three-months pregnant and staying with her mother-in-law after her “husband” denied responsibility and skipped the border.
“I left school in Grade Six and went to work as a housemaid here in Chipinge. This is where I met my boyfriend, who then impregnated me. I eloped and he denied responsibility and left for South Africa, leaving me with his mother. I am now three months pregnant,” she said.
Another 15-year-old mother who dropped out of school while in Form Two and eloped to a 17-year-old boy, who is now in Form Six, said: “I used to stay with my maternal grandmother after my mother left for South Africa. Up to now she has never come back and I do not know my father. At the age of 14, I fell in love with a boy and later gave birth. We stay together and his mother, who is a banana vendor, is the one who takes care of us. My wish is to go back to school. I rushed into marriage because of peer pressure. I am still young and some of the chores I can’t perform.”
She was accompanied by her mother-in-law and her husband, who said: “My plan is that if the child grows. My wife can then proceed with her education so that we will be on the same level.”
The First Lady jokingly asked, “Saka ukapasa Form Six, Angel of Hope Foundation yobva yakutsvagira scholarship yekuti uyenderere mberi needucation hauzomukanganwe here mwana uyu?”
In response, the boy said he loved his wife dearly.
Her tale is almost similar to that of yet another girl who was married aged 14.
“I left school in Grade Six in 2020 after my mother said that she no longer had money to send us to school. There are nine children in my family and each one of us has a different father. My mother once left us alone at home and went to stay with another man in Hwedza, and that is when I ended up getting married, but I was too young to perform chores. My husband later ran away, leaving me with her mother. When my mother heard that I had eloped, she came back and took me home. However, the situation at home is not any better and this forces us to
choose marriage as a better option,” she said.
Her 40-year-old mother, who had accompanied her, said: “All my nine children are not going to school because I cannot afford the school fees. They have separate fathers who neglected them. I was pained when one of my children eloped. I looked for the child but she had been hidden from me by her husband. I finally got wind of where she was and I took her back. The responsible boy had already left her. When I approached his grandmother, she refused to give me back my child but I pressed on and took her back because she is underage and my wish is for her to go back to school.”
In yet another harrowing tale, another 15-year-old girl said she got married after being orphaned at a tender age.
“My father died while I was young and I would perform menial tasks to get money. I fell pregnant at 14 when the boy was in Form Four, but he ran away and no longer communicates and I stay with his mother. The mother shouts at me at will and I wish I could be assisted to start a project so that I look after myself and my child,” she said.
Another mother agonised over being stuck with an underage daughter-in-law after her son ran off to South Africa after impregnating the minor.
“I want my daughter-in-law back in school even if I have to continue staying with her. I approached the headmaster and he told me that he can only accept her back after she has given birth. I really want to send her to school the way I sent my other children to school. She is too young and as a parent I am worried.”
The First Lady said seeing young girls being married before their time was ripe pained her.
“As a mother, I am pained to see underage girls entering the institution of marriage before the time is ripe. This is the reason why I move around with the Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba Programme encouraging girls to look after themselves and their bodies,” she said.
To complement the mother of the nation’s efforts, the Ministry of Women Affairs, represented by Mrs Hedwig Mukuze, said it would support the First Lady’s vision and train the girls in various projects so that they become economically empowered.
The First Lady said her Angel of Hope Foundation would also chip in and give them starter packs to start their projects after training.
A representative from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education said they will help the young girls who were willing to return to school.
Amai Mnangagwa also educated women, who were in the meeting, about the Women’s Bank (Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank) and urged them to use it and the various products it offered.
Addressing the Chipinge community after the meeting, the First Lady said she had been affected by the death of her staffers who met their fate during the course of their duties.
“I was affected by my children who passed on (Thursday) while travelling to Ruwangwe for a meeting with the elderly. I failed to travel and sent my team to proceed with the project. May their souls rest in peace. Today I have come so that we discuss how we are living in the homes. The way you are living and the mischief in children is what we are trying to correct through Nhanga/ Gota/Ixhiba programme, which gave birth to Nharirire YeMusha.
“We encourage you to promote love and find where the elderly and orphans live so that we assist them. Love is not confined to couples only, but we should also love our neighbours. Even in the homes we must do things in peace and shun violence,” she said.
The mother of the nation spoke candidly against domestic violence and encouraged the gathering to make use of her 575 toll-free line and report gender-based violence issues and all forms of abuse.
“We want peace in families, communities, provinces and the whole country so that development continues,” the First Lady said.
She asked the gathering about who was behind the violence in the homes, and people started blaming one another along gender lines.
She invited representatives from Ministry of Women Affairs, who outlined the projects and programmes they offer, saying if families are empowered, this reduced domestic violence.
The mother of the nation told the people about her Angel of Hope Foundation and how it also assists women.
“Today I met our daughters who were married at a tender age, but I encouraged parents to sit down with children and teach them good manners and encouraging them to go to school. As parents, we need to step up. The children told us various reasons that cause them to elope but some of them point back at us as parents.
“I discovered that child marriages are rife here in Chipinge. Surely why marry off a 13-year-old? Children are rushing into marriage at tender ages and we ask how this trend came to be. It is stressing mothers mainly because the responsible men often deny paternity, leaving the girl stranded. Young girls must treasure their bodies because they are the temples of the Lord. Do not rush into sexual relations at the expense of education, which is important in life. Education is your first husband. We deny that a 13-year-old be impregnated by a 15-year-old boy. To those who are dating at tender ages, I implore you to treasure your studies and excel. We also say no to horseplay with your brothersin-law as this has led to pregnancies,” she said.
As health ambassador, the First Lady said homes must always be clean to avoid diseases.
“Let’s keep our houses clean, with clean utensils because if they spend the night without being cleaned, they cause diseases. Newly married women must not rush to sleep after preparing meals, leaving utensils dirty,” she said.
She encouraged people to consume traditional foods, which are healthy and nutritious.
She also urged them to harvest vegetables that grow during the rainy season and dry them for future use.
As environment ambassador, Amai Mnangagwa spoke out against the wanton cutting down of trees and burning of forests which affects people, livestock and other animals.
Amai Mnangagwa gave groceries and toiletries to the elderly, chiefs and all members of Chipinge Ward 8 junction gate community.
To complement Amai’s efforts, Ariston Holdings donated a tonne of tea leaves to Angel of Hope Foundation.
Amai Mnangagwa thanked her foundation’s partners for their continued support.