Chiefs join the fight to stop child marriages

Traditional chiefs have partnered with government and Non-Governmental Organisations in a bid to stop child marriages that violate the rights of the girl child.

The traditional leaders signed a tripartite communiqué with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and Plan International that has seen them undertake to play a part in upholding the rights of the girl child through enforcing the prevention of child marriages especially  girls under the age of sixteen.

Zimbabwe National Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira said were concerned with the increasing number of girls being married before the age of fifteen.

"As the national chiefs council, we take a leading role in interventions aimed at ending early marriages," Charumbira said.

Plan International Programmes Manager Zvidzai Chidhakwa said the signing  of the communique had opened the doors for the protection of the girl child.

"We are now moving towards implementation of the programme," he said.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, girls married under the age of fifteen constituted 16.3 percent of marriages recorded in 2009.

The apostolic sects are among some of the groups allegedly encouraging child marriages.

According to the country's laws, it is a criminal offence to marry a girl under the age of sixteen.