Brenna Matendere
The National Aids Council (Nac) is battling a rising scourge of child marriages in Nyanga which threaten to spike numbers of new HIV infections.
According to Nyanga District AIDS coordinator Lawrence Munyama, authorities in the area are now seized with the matter. Various interventions have been lined up to tackle the emerging challenge that puts girls at risk of HIV infections.
He also urged locals to embrace community initiatives that have ben put in place by Nac and its partners in trying to contain the rising rates of child marriages.
“We are seeing an increase in child marriages in this area, and it’s a significant concern,” he said.
Munyama revealed that there are currently 887 cases of school dropouts among 19-year-olds in Nyanga who are rushing into early marriages after falling pregnant, with 41 of those being girls under the age of 15.
“Our team is now working with various organizations to provide guidance and support to young girls, encouraging them to avoid early sexual engagement and focus on their education. We want to empower girls to understand their worth and make informed choices about their futures,” he said.
Several factors contribute to the prevalence of child marriages and pregnancies, including poverty, cultural pressures, and the influence of older men who may lure young girls into relationships with promises of financial support. To address these challenges, programs like the Sister to Sister initiative have been implemented, teaching girls valuable skills and promoting self-reliance. “We are helping them understand that they can work for themselves and avoid early sexual activities,” Munyama noted.
A research study conducted by academics Cynthia Dzimiri, Plaxedes Chikunda and Viola Ingwani titled “Causes of Child Marriages in Zimbabwe: A Case of Mashonaland Province in Zimbabwe” examined the reasons why child marriages are on the rise in the country.
The researchers employed descriptive survey as a way of collecting evidence, analysing and reporting on the findings (Chiromo, 2009) and triangulation which refers to the use of multiple sources of data ( Palmer and Quinn, 2003 in Chinomona and Tam, 2013 ).
Various independent sources of evidence including interviews, focus group discussion and document analysis provided the data. Data collection and analysis were done at the same time for accuracy’s sake.
The results indicated that the major causes of child marriages in particular are religious beliefs and practices as also indicated in the research by Masinire (2015).
In addition to that the following were also highlighted as other factors that contribute to child marriage: lack of serious sex education in schools due to cultural beliefs and practices, socio-economic background of learners, early socialisation, parental expectations and level of education and also lack of adequate knowledge on the children‘s rights and other legal systems that support them.
This is proving to be true in Nyanga and Manyama said Nac has since started a proactive approach to the crisis.
“The collaboration between apostolic members, local organizations, and health officials is proving to be very useful in driving change and ensuring that young people in Nyanga do not fall into child marriages,” he said.