VPs slam child marriages Acting President Mphoko
VP Mphoko

VP Mphoko

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday slammed some Apostolic sects for fuelling child marriages saying perpetrators will be punished if they do not comply with the new provisions of the Constitution banning child marriages. Addressing the Second Sitting of the 24th Session of the Junior Parliament yesterday, VP Mphoko said Government was mandated to put children’s rights high on the national agenda including the right to health and education.

As such, he said, Government was committed to eliminating child marriages and whoever was found cohabiting, marrying or engaging in such activities with under-age girls, would face the full wrath of the law.

“Child marriages have been causing irreparable damages to young girls in Zimbabwe and Africa at large and are denying them the right to personal development especially among some Apostolic sects that deny their children the right to education. Child marriage is a very difficult reality to many girls especially those in rural Zimbabwe and it needs to be addressed urgently.

“It is in this context that we had to reaffirm our commitment by upholding children’s rights, consequently make children useful and productive citizens. The Government has promulgated criminal law with regards to child abuse, child pornography and minimum age of criminal liability,” he said.

“Earlier this year, the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe banned under-18 marriages, a landmark ruling that sets a tone to any social ills of early child marriages especially among young girls. The Constitutional Court struck down Section 22 (1) of the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11) which allowed children of 16 years to marry saying it was unconstitutional and invalid.”

In his address, VP Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also overseer for the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, concurred with VP Mphoko that child marriages were a “scourge” facing the nation.

“Since the rights of children are entrenched under Chapter 4 on the Declaration of Rights in the Constitution, Zimbabwe is thus obliged to follow a human rights-based approach in dealing with the rights and entitlements of young people,” he said.

“Allow me to reiterate Government’s commitment towards upholding the rights of all our young people through the fulfilment of international obligations that we are party to. These instruments include the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and its two incidental protocols. Furthermore, Government religiously subjects itself to mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Human Rights Council and the ‘special procedures’ as a way of registering its commitment to the rights and welfare of young people.”

Child president Tinaye Mbavari said it was the young people that shaped and defended the rights of all citizens and advocated for Government’s STEM initiative to be inclusive of the Arts and Commercials.

“You would be aware that a group of young people recently went to Silicon Valley, what an achievement, but there is a cry on Junior Parliament, what about those who are in the Arts and Commercials, those doing Arts, they want to be taken to the Netherlands to the International Criminal Court that they may know what it feels like to stand on the Bar, and those in Commercials they want to be taken to the World Bank to see how it is to live a Commercial life,” she said.

“Young people do not know much about sex and health. Before you lose an entire future you fought so hard for, educate young people on this. The school health policy is long overdue and comprehensive sexual education should be embraced by schools with immediate effect. This would enable young people to be aware of their health needs …”

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