By Flata Kavinga
Plan International has urged stronger collaboration between policymakers and young people to address factors driving child marriages in Kwekwe District, saying gaps in policy awareness and harmful community practices continue to expose children to risk.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Zibagwe Rural District Council (ZRDC) Junior MPs and Councillors Engagement with Senior MPs and Councillors in Redcliff on Saturday, Plan International project coordinator for the Ending Child Marriages initiative, Rumbidza Gwandingwa said the platform was designed to give young representatives space to express the challenges they face in their communities.
Gwandingwa said the junior parliamentarians and junior councillors highlighted artisanal mining activities, a lack of knowledge of policies and unclear referral pathways as major factors contributing to child marriages across the district.
“We have taken on board junior and senior parliamentarians as well as junior and senior councillors so that they meet, engage and deliberate on issues affecting or exacerbating child marriages,” she said. “The junior assembly has shared sentiments around challenges they are facing within schools and communities.”
She noted that mining communities remain hotspots for early marriages due to economic pressures and risky environments that expose young girls and boys to exploitation.
Gwandingwa said the meeting was also aimed at developing an action plan in which senior legislators and councillors would formally respond to and act upon the concerns raised by their junior counterparts.
“The senior parliamentarians and councillors are hearing the voices of the children so that there is full and equal representation of issues affecting boys and girls,” she said.
The junior assembly also called for continuous engagement platforms that enable young people to regularly interact with policymakers and community leaders on child protection issues.
Gwandingwa said while progress has been made through the project, more coordinated efforts are required to curb child marriages and teenage pregnancies.
“Of course it’s not much progress to date, but the strides taken are commendable,” she said. “We are hopeful that collectively we can collaborate to end child marriage, which has been destroying the district.”
The engagement meeting is part of ongoing efforts by Plan International and local authorities to strengthen community-based mechanisms aimed at protecting children from early marriage.
The workshop was funded by Plan International.
