Child Marriages
Girls in rural areas are more prone to child marriages, giving birth under the age of 18 when compared with their counterparts in urban areas. This came to light in a presentation made by Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) on a preliminary report released on the 2022 population housing and census on fertility. The survey was carried out on females aged between the ages of 15 to 49.
“Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) provides the age pattern of fertility for the women in their childbearing ages. There is an indication that women were having children at relatively younger ages, in rural areas as compared to urban areas,” reads the report. “Child marriage is widely recognized as a violation of children’s rights and is also a direct form of discrimination against the girl child. Figures show 133 455 women aged 20 to 24 years, representing 16.2% of the total, were in union before attaining the age of 18 years. The proportion was higher, at 22.7% in rural areas as compared to 7.2% in urban areas.”
The report brings into focus the contentious issue of child marriages which is rampant in rural areas, especially in the apostolic (white garment) sects where girls are married off at a young age. According to law it is a violation of children’s rights and impregnating a woman below the age of 18 now attracts a jail term.
In a report released in September, Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) highlighted that there is a spike in child marriages in the country owing to low child protection.
The latest Zimstat report further highlighted that the median age of women experiencing first live birth is 19 in the rural areas as compared to 21 in urban areas with Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland Central amongst the provinces recording the lowest median age.
Speaking after the release of the preliminary report, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) deputy country representative Gulnara Kadyrkulova expressed concern over the high number of young women being impregnated before reaching the age of 18.
As poverty ravages the rural landscape, many girls are left vulnerable as families begin to marry them off just to put food on the table.
