Zimbabwe government minister says those who impregnate 10-year-olds should be castrated

A government minister today said that those who impregnate 10-year-old girls should be castrated if they need to be.

Responding to a question in Parliament on what strategy the government had to curb child pregnancies since statistics showed that 700 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth last year, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa who was acting as leader of government business said the issue of child pregnancies was very painful.

“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,” she said.

When told by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda that Zimbabwe did not have a law that allowed castration, Mutsvangwa said: “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.”

Q &A:

 HON. DR. LABODE:  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.

THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. MUTSVANGWA): 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 – [Laughter.] –

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