The Zimbabwe Republic Police says it has opened an investigation into the reported death of a 14 year old girl during childbirth at an Apostolic sect’s shrine in Marange, in the eastern province of Manicaland.
The case has triggered public outrage and once again brought the spotlight on child marriages in Zimbabwe.
A report by The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) says that globally, more than one in four girls are married as children – before the age of 18. In the East and Southern African region, the share of girls married before 18 is 36%, while 10% of girls in the region are married by age 15.
How big is Zimbabwe’s child marriage problem?
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), 33.7% of girls aged under 18 are married. This is one in three girls under 18. In comparison, 2% of boys get married before reaching the age of 18 years.
Zimbabwe is among the 20 African countries where child marriages are most prevalent.
| Country | Girls married by 15 | Girls married by 18 | Boys married by 18 |
| Niger | 28% | 76% | 6% |
| Central African Republic | 26% | 61% | 17% |
| Chad | 24% | 61% | 8% |
| Mali | 16% | 54% | 2% |
| Mozambique | 17% | 53% | 10% |
| Burkina Faso | 10% | 52% | 4% |
| South Sudan | 9% | 52% | – |
| Guinea | 17% | 47% | 2% |
| Nigeria | 16% | 43% | 3% |
| Malawi | 9% | 42% | 7% |
| Eritrea | 13% | 41% | 2% |
| Ethiopia | 14% | 40% | 5% |
| Madagascar | 13% | 40% | 12% |
| Mauritania | 18% | 37% | 2% |
| Somalia | 17% | 36% | 6% |
| Liberia | 9% | 36% | 9% |
| Sudan | 12% | 34% | – |
| Uganda | 7% | 34% | 6% |
| Zimbabwe | 5% | 34% | 2% |
| Senegal | 9% | 31% | 1% |
| Tanzania | 5% | 31% | 4% |
Prevalence by geographic area
Child marriages are most prevalent in Mashonaland Central, where 52.1% of girls get married before 18, while Bulawayo has the lowest prevalence rate, 10.9%.
Zimstat data also shows that rural girls are twice more likely to be married before 18 than their urban counterparts.
| Province | Share of girls married before 18 |
| Mashonaland Central | 52.1% |
| Mashonaland East | 45.1% |
| Masvingo | 43.4% |
| Mashonaland West | 42.2% |
| Manicaland | 38.1% |
| Midlands | 30.3% |
| Matabeleland North | 29.4% |
| Harare | 23% |
| Matabeleland South | 20.3% |
| Bulawayo | 10.9% |
| Rural | 21.3% |
| Urban | 43.7% |
The religious factor
Zimstat’s 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) found that the highest prevalence of child marriages, 50.9%, is among families whose heads identified their religion as “traditional.”
Protestants – who include Adventists, Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians – have the lowest prevalence of child marriages, 16.2%.
| Religion of household head | Share of girls married before 18 |
| Traditional | 50.9% |
| Apostolic sect | 46.2% |
| No religion | 46.2% |
| Zion | 36.4% |
| Other Christian | 29.4% |
| Pentecostal | 23.6% |
| Roman Catholic | 17.4% |
| Protestant | 16.2% |
Poverty
Data shows there is a positive correlation between child marriages and poverty. More children from poor households get married early, compared to those with higher incomes.
| Wealth index quintile | Share of girls married before 18 |
| Poorest | 50.8% |
| Second | 51.7% |
| Middle | 39.7% |
| Fourth | 31.2% |
| Richest | 13.2% |
What does the law say?
The Constitution of Zimbabwe, adopted in 2013, sets 18 years as the minimum age of marriage in Zimbabwe.
In January 2016, the Constitutional Court struck down a section of the Marriage Act, which had, for years, allowed children under the age of 18 years to marry. This was because that particular section was inconsistent with the Constitution.
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