She gives birth at the age of fifteen. Girls in Zimbabwe are stealing their childhood and gambling with their lives

But Anna’s cruel death case received a lot of attention. As a result, campaigns to combat forced marriages of young girls have intensified in recent weeks in the African state. “Her death has provoked great protests. In recent weeks, the petition against children’s marriages has received thousands of signatures. And many activists hope that Anna’s death will draw more attention to the practice of child marriage, which is officially banned in Zimbabwe but is still going on in spite of possible sanctions, CNN writes.

Anna Machaya gave birth to Johann Marang in the Church of the Apostolic Church. “The girl was married to a 26-year-old member of the same church,” CNN said. The Zimbabwean police are still investigating the case.

Anna’s death frightened many people in Zimbabwe. “It was a shock. What if it was me? I’m happy to be alive. I gave birth at home. Anything could have happened, “another of the mothers who are already mothers told CNN. Faith (not her real name, editor’s note) lives near the capital, Harare.

It is in rural areas in the country that the “tradition” of child marriages still persists. Despite the risk of a court for a similar marriage, it is still a widespread custom. “According to one of the campaigns against these marriages, Girls Not Brides, up to a third of girls get married before the age of 18, and five percent are married before they are fifteen,” CNN warns.

The government is closing its eyes

The husband of the deceased Anna and her parents, who arranged the marriage, are now in prison. Information has leaked to the public that these parents also promised her younger sister. Only nine years old. Despite the fact that this case is dealt with in detail by the police, the vast majority of such marriages are not resolved.

“The government is turning a blind eye to these practices. Zimbabwe now has two laws concerning marriage. None of them specifies the minimum age required for marriage. And traditional law in the country even allows polygamy. The new bill, which is now in parliament, prohibits the marriage of people under the age of eighteen and proposes punishment for anyone involved in marrying a minor, “CNN outlines.

In Zimbabwe, parents usually defend the wives of their underage daughters by the need to reduce the family budget – and feeding an extra neck is said to be a problem for them. They also get rid of their daughters at the cost of marrying them to much older men and at an age when they are practically still children. “The Apostolic Church, which included Anna, also encourages young girls to marry older men for spiritual guidance,” said the Girls Not Brides campaign. The church denies it.

According to the organizers of campaigns against child marriages, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the situation. There was a lockdown in Zimbabwe as well. “Many girls stayed at home instead of going to school, which helped increase the number of child marriages,” said Natsiraishe Maritsa.

Marked for the rest of his life

In January alone, five thousand new pregnancies for teenage girls and 1,174 child marriages were recorded in Zimbabwe. This was said by Minister for Women’s Affairs Sithembiso Nyoni.

With marriages at such a young age, girls are marked practically for the rest of their lives. Among other things, because once they get married, they definitely stop going to school. It is not possible for them to find a better job. Poverty, in which they and their spouses find themselves, often leads to domestic violence.

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