As families continue to grapple with the stinging effects of Covid 19, girls have become tickets for a better meal in rural Zhombe.

Zhombe is one of the areas that is rich in gold in Kwekwe district. There has been an influx of artisanal miners in the area with them being considered as demigods by the villagers. As a result girls as young as 13 have been engaging in transactional sex with the miners as a means to alleviate household poverty.

In an interview, one of the villagers in Zhombe Peter Dube said that poverty was one of the key players in fueling child marriages in Zhombe.

“Poverty is forcing girls to sleep with artisanal miners for money so that they are able to buy sanitary wear and other household necessities,” he said.

Another villager, John Masuku added that, “some of the parents are the ones encouraging children to get married so that they can get money to provide for their household needs.  Instead of protecting the minors from child marriage with abusive men they are actually encouraging it.”

Child marriages are a cancer that continue to destroy the lives of many girls not only in Zimbabwe but the world over. Girls end up being forced to give up on their dreams and education, not only this but they are exposed to domestic violence and grave health risks. Health risks include higher exposure to HIV and AIDS, obstetric fistula, cervical cancer among other risks.

According to the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF every year 12million girls in Africa are married before they turn 18. Reports indicate that one in three girls in Zimbabwe is likely to be married before turning 18. In a recent statement by the United Nations, “all forms of violence and early forced marriages severely affect the mental and physical health of girls and is a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Zimbabwe is a signatory. In keeping up with international laws and conventions that protect the girl child, Zimbabwe also has laws that seek to protect young girls. One of these is the Zimbabwe Constitution and in 2016 the Constitutional Court banned child marriages after two former child brides challenged the country’s Marriage Act.

But child marriage cases continue to soar especially under lockdown conditions induced by Covid 19 as poverty overwhelms more families. Kwekwe based advocate Francis Mapurisa said that there was need to push for a Child marriages Bill which would outlaw child marriages in the country.

“Child marriages in Zimbabwe are rising alarmingly therefore there is need to have a Bill which speaks specifically on child marriages. People can contribute to the Bill and then have it passed as an Act which will outlaw child marriages.

Mapurisa said this Bill was important in protecting girls against forced early child marriages.

“We need a more hands on approach to deal with the issue of child marriages hence the need for a Child marriages Bill,” he said.

In 2017 the World Bank stated that child marriage is a harmful practice that affects the mental and physical wellbeing of girls. It went on to say that Child Marriage laws were of a paramount importance to provide girls with the legal protection and commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets of ending child marriage by 2030.

However, as the Covid 19 pandemic continues to weaken the economic situation in the country leading to more child marriage cases, there is need for a more vigorous approach in the fight against ending child marriages.