PGA commends Zimbabwe in its latest achievement towards
outlawing child marriage, by passing
the Marriage Bill in both Houses and getting it signed into law by
President Mnangagwa on 8 March--International Women's Day. PGA also takes
this opportunity to reiterate the importance of parliaments and their members
in protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls. Despite child
and early marriages being gradually banned in more and more countries, 12
million girls are still being married before the age of 18 each year; that is,
23 girls every minute.
Zimbabwe has finally disentangled herself from the
religious and cultural myths that perpetuated the scourge of child
marriages. The long walk to freedom was not easy as it challenged
political and religious influencing entities and the custodians of our culture.
The champions from different spheres of life, i.e.:
legislators, civil society organizations, traditional chiefs, SADC
Parliamentary Forum, and the Zimbabwe Minister of Justice, took arms and jointly went to battle with one agenda to End Child Marriages. All
of us won the battle.
While we have finally legally outlawed child marriages, we are yet to end the
practice. Factors that lead to child marriages -gender inequality, poverty,
social norms and insecurity- are still here. For champions, it's back to
the drawing board to strategize on enforcement.Hon. Dr. Labode, MP
(Zimbabwe)
The 2024 International Day of the Girl theme is ‘Girls’ vision for the future’ conveying both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ voices and vision for the future
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