Population Solutions for Health (PSH) in collaboration with Population Services International and support from the Swedish Embassy in Partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development held a three day religious leaders dialogue in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central Province.
By Michael Gwarisa
Speaking to HealthTimes, PSH said the dialogue was meant to change harmful cultural norms and values that drive intimate partner valance and child marriages at community level.
Child marriage is a practice that negatively affects young girls socially, culturally, economically and their health even leading to death. The new marriage act sets the age of marriage at 18 and criminalizes child marriages,” said PSH.
Despite the changes in legislation, trends show that the incidence e of child marriages and intimate partner violence
“However, recent trends in child marriage cases show that Child Marriage cannot simply be legislated away. As such there is a need to address the challenges of child marriages starting at family and community levels.
“To change cultural, traditional and religious norms, it is necessary to engage religious leaders as gatekeepers and custodians of values. Following the successful hosting 3 Chiefs Indabas in Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central, Population Solutions for Health went on hold a high level dialogue for religious leaders for Bindura and Rushinga district in Mashonaland central.”
The dialogue also included anti-domestic violence messaging and intimate partner violence under the Population Solutions for Health, Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign.
The meeting’s objectives included developing community-based charters against Child Marriages and Gender Based violence, raise awareness of the negative impacts of Child Marriage and Domestic Violence, to raise awareness of legal provisions of laws that deal with Child marriage and Gender based violence, give religious leaders a working knowledge of where and when to refer cases and to build religious leaders’ capacity on how to counsel survivors and perpetrators.
The National objectives south to create a national movement and dialogue that will contribute to the elimination of child marriages and achievement of gender equality between boys and girls in Zimbabwe as well as strengthening capacity of community leaders and influencers to denounce child marriages.
