Herald Reporter
A legislator for Glen Norah constituency has said he will move a motion in the National Assembly on child marriages as part of efforts to mobilise the nation to fight a disturbing rise in the number of reported cases of child marriages across the country.National Assembly member for Glen Norah, Webster Maondera, told journalists on Friday that legislators had a role to play in ending child marriages.

“I am going to sit down with the parliamentary portfolio committee to come up with a motion in Parliament in two weeks’ time,” he said.

“Our duty as parliamentarians is to protect the constitution and I have dedicated myself to this to come up with ways to end child marriages.”

He said girls who were being forced into marriage at a tender age were being robbed the chance to excel academically and to progress to careers of their own choice.

“Levels of child marriages in the country are quite disturbing and in two weeks’ time I will be presenting my motion in Parliament so that we pile pressure on higher authorities to bring child marriages to an end,” Maondera said.

The African Union (AU) says there is need for African countries to prioritise the campaign to stop child marriages following reports that every year, 14 million girls get married before turning 18.

Most African countries are plagued with the vice of child marriages with 31 percent of women in Zimbabwe getting into marriage while under the age of 18.

Child rights activists say 39 000 girls were being forced into early marriages on a daily basis, translating to 14 million girls per year in child marriages each year.

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