The two met in Bolton rural resettlement area, Mashonaland East, where Lucy lived with her grandmother while her (now) husband worked for a neighbouring family. She eloped at the beginning of the year – sparking a heated family dispute as some contested the early marriage owing to her tender age.
Lucy left for Wedza, her husband’s rural home, after he was sacked from the homestead where he was a labourer. Several months later, the teenager drank paraffin in a suicide attempt as she could not cope with the pressures of marriage.
Her husband had suggested leaving her behind, either in the custody of her in-laws or relatives who both resented her, as he travelled in search of work. She is now back at her granny’s rural home where she gave birth to her daughter.
Haunted
Though she welcomed her baby with open arms, questions are likely to haunt her in future about what her life would have turned out like if she had not rushed into marriage so soon. Perhaps she will grow to resent her guardians for not giving her constructive advice.
Her story is no different from former television kids programme presenter, Makanaka Wakatama, who also got married at 15. Unlike Lucy, Wakatama was popular – hence her story attracted the interest of several children’s rights groups who tried to persuade her not to walk into an early marriage – but to no avail.
Now 24 years old and a mother of two, she had complications with both her deliveries and had to undergo Caesarean operations.
Wakatama said she never enjoyed her marriage because she was too young and needed care and attention from parents and guardians.
Back to school
Fights took the centre stage of her young marriage after she told her husband she wanted to return to school – a move he strongly shot down.
“My husband would not allow me to go back to school to further my studies. We quarrelled about this issue for a long time. I was not happy with his decision. I became ill with a stress ulcer and had to go under the knife. At 17, I was diagnosed of high blood pressure because I could not handle the marriage situation,” Wakatama said.
At 19, she finally threw in the towel and walked out of her matrimonial home with her two kids. Having experienced the dangers of child marriage, the young mother of two established a non-profit organisation called Makanaka Trust to assist victims of child marriage.
“The issue of child marriage is something that pains me. The girls who are in this situation are facing the same challenges that I experienced. We need to fight and stop it,” she said. “We are still in urban areas but if funds permit, we intend to spread our wings to rural areas where the prevalent is much higher.”
Community structures
According to a 2012 survey by the United Nations Population Fund, Zimbabwe’s prevalence rate of early child marriages is relatively high at 31 percent. The statistics further indicate that about 32 percent of women aged between 20-49 years were married before they were 18 years old while five percent now aged 15-49 years were married before they reach 15.
It is against this background that Plan Zimbabwe programme manager for Mutasa District, Hardlife Takada, is campaigning for concerted efforts to end child marriages.
“There is need to raise awareness and enforce all the laws that protect the rights of children. We also need to engage community structures such as chiefs, village heads and councillors to help curb child marriages,” said Takada.
Not enforced
Zimbabwe is a signatory of the Convention of Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Children’s Act and many other child-related laws – but these are not being enforced.
Agnes Pika, the Ministry of Social Welfare child and probation services officer, said there was need to devise mechanisms to strategically position child protection methods to end early child marriages. “By reason of their physical and mental immaturity, children have insufficient control over their lives because they are dependent on other people. As a result they become vulnerable to harm, abuse and exploitation,” she said. – * not her real name.
Post published in: News