FOLLOWING release of the Vital Statistics Report by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), which shows that 696 girls aged 10 to 14 gave 12 months before the Census night in 2022, Parliament is now demanding action from the ministries of health and that of home affairs.
By Michael Gwarisa
According to the report, over 68,639 teenagers aged 15 to 19 also fell pregnant and gave birth during the same period. The issue has since attracted national attention, with most members of Parliament agreeing that stricter penalties should be enforced.
Posing a question during a parliamentary seating on March 5, 2023, Portfolio Committee on Health Chair, Honourable Ruth Labode called for the Minister of health to explain their strategy to end the prevailing menace.
I am making reference to the Zimbabwe Statistics. Disaggregated data on the Distribution of Births by Age of Mother released during the launch of the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (Zimstat) Vital Statistics Report shows that 700 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth in 2022. What does this say about this country? Could the Minister of Health and Child Care bring a Ministerial Statement and tell us what strategy they have to curb this scourge of teenage pregnancies. A ten year old is not a teenager but a baby,” said Dr Labode.
Responding to Dr Labode’s inquest, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa proposed that men who commit such crimes should be dealt with heavily.
“This question touches a lot of Zimbabweans in particular a lot of women. The issue of teenage pregnancies is an issue which the whole country is seized with. The Government is seized with it and the Ministry of Health is putting a lot of strategies which they would need to articulate in this House. I think it is in order when the Hon.
“Member asked for a Ministerial Statement which will articulate step by step of what they are doing. To have 700 young girls aged 10 to 14 getting pregnant is very sad. A ten year old is a child and what has gone wrong with our people? This is an issue which is not going to be just dealt with by the Ministry of Health alone but inter-ministerial strategy. This is something which we need to understand from the Home Affairs Ministry to see how many people have been jailed or castrated if they need to be.”
While the speaker of Parliament asked whether the minister was serious about her castration remarks, the entire house unanimously shouted Yes, even though the speaker said Zimbabwe does not have such a law in place.
“It is very painful Hon. Speaker Sir. A ten-year-old is a baby and for any person in his right sense to actually take her as a woman, I think there is an element of madness which needs to be dealt with; an element of cruelty or animal behaviour which needs to be dealt with.
“Penalties should be quite high. I would obviously take this up with my colleagues. We need to get that report and I certainly agree with her so that at least we can work together as a country. It is about all of us as leaders in the areas where we live. It is also about us as parents to work together, united as Zimbabweans to fight against this evil,” added Sen Mutsvangwa.
