By Flata Kavinga
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has reiterated its call for communities to intensify efforts to end child marriages, warning that the practice exposes girls to life-threatening health complications and long-term socio-economic challenges.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Zibagwe Rural District Council (ZRDC) Junior MPs and Councillors Engagement with Senior MPs and Councillors in Redcliff on Friday, Kwekwe District Health Promotion Officer Sifelani Kudehama said child marriages remain a major driver of maternal health risks in the district.
Kudehama said the Ministry is working with community structures and local authorities to raise awareness and strengthen prevention mechanisms.
“We are part of the team that is contributing to ending child marriage in Kwekwe and our standpoint is we are fighting child marriages,” he said. “By virtue of them being child marriages, we are saying a child should not be given the responsibility of being a mother.”
He said girls’ bodies are not biologically prepared for pregnancy or nursing, exposing them to complications that often contribute to maternal and infant ill-health.
“If we allow a child to be a mother while she is still a child, we are putting her at risk of mothering or parenting when the body is not yet prepared,” he said. “This is part of the things contributing to maternal deaths. Many of these young mothers are not knowledgeable about the issues involved in parenting.”
Kudehama added that delays in seeking care and gaps in community referral systems further increase the risk of complications.
“At the end of the day, we are likely to face undesirable outcomes, including the possibility of losing the mother or the newborn,” he said. “Even when both survive, challenges in raising the baby — including infant feeding and growth problems — are common because the young mother may lack the time, experience or support required.”
He said effective prevention requires a whole-community response, including schools, villages and local leadership.
“We need to give a lot of information to our communities and children to make sure they are aware of what is likely to befall them,” Kudehama said. “Our entry points are schools, villages and the broader community. They should become the foot soldiers to track anything that may contribute to child marriages.”
He said the Ministry is promoting the “Not in My Village” approach, encouraging households to take responsibility for preventing the practice.
“At any community level, even at household level, people should say, ‘This should not happen in my community, in my family,’” he said. “If we work together, we will win.”
Kudehama urged community members to seek guidance from health workers and extension officers for more information on preventing child marriages.
“Let’s give children time to grow and attain their desires before they are turned into young mothers,” he said.
The workshop was funded by Plan International.
