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Kudzai-Vimbiso Tseriwa Correspondent

June 16 is the Day of the African Child. It is a day commemorated every year in remembrance of the Soweto Uprisings of 1976 where children in South Africa protested against an apartheid-inspired education system which led to the shooting and killing of these unarmed youths.

Since then, the day has been marked to celebrate the African Child.

It is also an opportunity for member states of the African Union to take stock of progress made in the adoption of policies and practice for the achievement of children’s rights, identify gaps and pledge to actions that will support the full realisation of children’s rights.

These reviews and assessments aim to inform relevant stakeholders who are working in the area of children’s rights on the continent to reinforce their efforts in addressing obstacles related to the full achievement of children’s rights.

DAC 2022 Theme

The 2022 theme for the Day of the African Child is “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy and Practice since 2013”.

This year’s theme is a follow up of commitments made following the 2013 commemoration in which the theme then was “Eliminating Harmful Social and Cultural Practices Affecting Children: Our Collective Responsibility”.

Many African states have made progress since then in adopting policies and practices towards the elimination of harmful social and cultural practices that affect children. Zimbabwe is no exception.

Harmful practices that affect children

Our culture has evolved over the centuries and decades with practices that were both beneficial and harmful to society and particularly children, either becoming extinct or diminishing. It is important to recognise that the evolution of society and culture has brought about its own set of challenges to navigate.

Pledging or betrothal also known as Kuzvarira. This is a practice also known as child pledging or betrothal of a young girl to an older man.

It is a cultural practice where a family, for one reason or another, such as poverty, debt or close friendship, commits to “bear” a daughter who when grown up will become the wife of a member of the other family.

It was typically done before the child was even born or conceived. This took away any right to choose a spouse of their own or even to a childhood as they were considered someone’s wife right from birth. The bride price was often paid before the child was born thus guaranteeing the union way in advance. While this practice does not feature much in today’s communities, elements of it still persist.

Due to poverty, some families still marry off their young girl children for the sake of supplementing their household income.

In some instances, families arranging marriages even for adult females with a man simply because he is of good financial standing and will provide material benefit to the family. The practice has evolved, but the sentiments behind it remain.

Appeasement of the avenging deceased spirits/kuripa ngozi was a conflict resolution mechanism used in ancient days. The customary practice of compensatory payment in inter-family disputes as well as in the appeasement of avenging deceased spirits is a classic example of the influence of tradition at the family level in Shona communities in Zimbabwe. It rendered girls and women a socially deprived group through the practice of forced marriages to appease the wronged spirit, in many cases, a murdered spirit.

Although this practice is a criminal offence in Zimbabwe, it is possible that some girls and women may still suffer in silence because the practice is administered at the family level.

Sexual dalliance (Chiramu) is a Shona cultural practice that entails the breaking down of barriers between in-laws of the opposite sex.

It could be as innocent as allowing talk and jokes about a brother-in-law being involved in a relationship with his wife’s sister or as violating as a brother-in-law indecently assaulting his unmarried sister-in-law under the guise of culture.

Despite cultural justifications, the practice of sexual dalliance exposes girls to sexual abuse. This practice is still alive today in both its “innocent” and harmful forms.

The are many other different forms of cultural practices that were practised.

Emerging forms of cultural practices

Moving into the 21st Century, there are new emerging forms of cultural practices as cultures have evolved.

Some practices have their roots in ancient culture but some are altogether new. Take corporal punishment for instance.

It is the age-old form of discipline that has been utilised throughout generations and has even been reinforced by scripture. However, this form of discipline can be quite harmful to children.

Over and above the harmful physical effects, in extreme cases death, it has deep psychological effects that cause more harm than good. It is essential that families are supported to find alternative ways of discipline that are relevant, context-specific and effective.

Zimbabwe has outlawed corporal punishment in schools and as a sentencing option but it still persists within the home environment. Child labour is another emerging issue that has its history in a useful practice for socialisation but has evolved to become more harmful. In days-of-old, some families would have many children in order to increase the workforce in the field.

For various reasons children are in work now be it in the agricultural sector, artisanal mining, sexual exploitation, in domestic work, vending or in the informal sector. This is detrimental to the development of the country and cannot be allowed to happen at the expense of childhood.

Zimbabwe recently renewed its commitment Strategic Development Goal Target 8.7 to end child labour in all its forms by 2025.

The newest emerging harmful practice is that of violating children on online spaces. The world has indeed changed and has become a global village where at the click of a button, millions have access to anything and everything that is available in the digital space.

Learning and connecting, even friendships and relationships now take place online. This is the digital world we live in.

It follows that abuse also happens in this cyber space like any other physical space. Cyberbullying, hate speech, revenge porn, cat phishing, trolling, cyberstalking, the list is endless. Child online safety is a real issue that modern day parents and practitioners must contend with.

However, the most concerning practice is that which is done out of goodwill by well-meaning people seeking to help.

There is an emerging trend where people share pictures, videos and audios of children in a vulnerable state in the name of seeking assistance on their behalf but they do not realise that they are further perpetuating violence against the child and increasing their vulnerability.

Communities must be educated on where to report such abuse cases for a child to be assisted without their images going viral.

One such platform is the Childline freephone 116 where community members can call for free and anonymously report cases of abuse.

Child marriage remains the highest form of any harmful cultural practice that persists. According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2019, one in three girls is married before the age of 18.

This is 33 percent of the child population that is exposed to marriage. There are a myriad of reasons for this, chief among them being poverty, remnants of harmful culture, early sexual debut culminating into early marriages.

Whatever the reasons, children are not intended for marriage and it is detrimental to their physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual development.

Legislative strides

We have achieved great milestones and have come so far from the days of child pledging but it is important to note that culture has evolved and harmful practices have changed their appearance in today’s society.

There is need to tackle new and emerging social and cultural practices that are harmful to children in today’s world. Zimbabwe has the requisite legislative framework to achieve this.

It is signatory to the United Nations Charter on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) which speak to children’s rights and places the best interests of the child at paramount importance.

Section 81 of the 2013 Constitution speaks categorically about the protection of children’s rights.

In 2016, the Constitutional Court outlawed child marriage and this was followed by the amendment to the Marriages Act Chapter 5:15 in 2022 which places the minimum age of marriage at 18.

Corporal punishment has been outlawed as a sentencing option and in the Education Amendment Act as a form of discipline within schools but within the home much needs to be done.

Kudzai-Vimbiso Tseriwa is a child protection social worker in Zimbabwe.