So, I think that it is important too that when we domesticate this model law we look and make sure that we are not just going to arrest and put the perpetrators into prisons, but we also make sure that the girl child is catered for. I think it is important too, that we make sure that every single girl is afforded the opportunity to go to school right up to university level, because what is actually taking place right now in the country, in the different constituencies in Zimbabwe, you will find that the girl child will sometimes go up to Grade 7 and there is no money for her to complete her schooling. The girl child will go up to high school – will go up to Form 4 and Form 5 and want to go to university and the girl child cannot go to university.
So, I think those are the areas that we need to look at. That is what I would urge the Hon. Vice President Mnangagwa to please look into when we are domesticating this law. We need to make sure that all our children, all the girls, are made to go to school because they will contribute enormously to the economy. You can tell from even just the few girls that have gone to school that have managed to escape the scourge of being abused, becoming a wife or being a victim, that girls actually contribute a lot to their families and I think this is important and should be looked at.
Mr. Speaker Sir, when you look at the statistics of the child marriages in Zimbabwe, it is one in every three. It is about 32%, if I am not mistaken and of course it will vary from province to province, but even one girl is one girl too many. I was also a part of the construction of this model law. I am a member of the SADC Parliamentary Forum in the Human Social Development and Special Needs Committee.
Another area, Mr. Speaker Sir, that needs to be seriously looked into is the sexual reproductive rights for children and the youth. It is important that education and sensitisation is done throughout the country so that children understand. People or the nation at large need to appreciate the importance of sexual reproductive health. Also, when we come to aligning this law for domestication of the eradication of girl child marriages, we must be very careful that we also look at the issue of the young people that they have the right to go into clinics and hospitals to access services. For example, if they are not feeling well, if they have engaged or indulged in any sexual activity, if they feel that they want to be tested for HIV/AIDS or whatever sickness they may be feeling that they do not necessarily have to go out. This is because what happens is that when a child goes to a clinic under the age of 18, they are told to go back and get their parents.
That is another area we need to look at because if a child is forced to go back and go to her mother and father to get permission or to be escorted to the clinic, that child will never get the attention that they need or the medication and the treatment they need. That means we will be accelerating the scourge of HIV and AIDs and all the different diseases. So, I think it is one very important area. When I speak this way Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that we should encourage children under the age of 18 to indulge in sex, but it is something that actually takes place. It happens in our society and we need to look at it. We also need to make sure that this law of an adult having sex with a minor is seriously looked into. I cannot emphasise it much more because what is happening is, you find that a lot of people are getting away with indulging in sexual activities with younger children.
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