The practice of child marriage has been condemned in Zimbabwe following the death of a 14-year-old girl, Machaya at Marange after she gave birth at a church shrine.
According to sources, the development has caused outrage among citizens and rights activists.
On the practice of child marriage, the incident is not far-fetched from the influence of Zimbabwe’s apostolic churches, which allow polygamy.
Meanwhile, the government has played its role, by traditionally turning down a blind eye to the practice of child marriage. Moreover, its two sets of marriage laws, the Marriage Act and Customary Marriages Act, are still functional.
While the customary law allows polygamy, either law gives a minimum age for marriage consent.
In reaction to the death of Machaya, the UN in Zimbabwe have made comments in a statement dated Aug. 7
The renowned body condemned strongly the circumstances leading to the death of Memory Machaya.
Based on statistics, the UN, whose office in Zimbabwe disclosed that one in three girls in Zimbabwe was likely to be married before turning 18 years.
