Women’s organisations say a lot still requires to be done regarding the country’s legislative framework in order to fulfil the court ruling that changed the age of consent to 18 from 16 years of age.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) calls upon the government to deliver on international frameworks and develop national legal processes to protect girls under the age of 18 from sexual exploitation and abuse.
The group of organisations supporting women also says the government’s top priority must be to amend the Criminal Codification and Reform Act (Code) to criminalise sexual intercourse between a girl below 18 years of age and a male aged 18 years and above.
Critics had argued that girls below the age of 18 were still young for sexual consent.
WCoZ, which celebrated the court’s ruling accused the law that provided for 16 years as the age of consent for teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe.
Reports indicate that nearly 5000 teenage girls in Zimbabwe became pregnant and about 1800 entered into early child marriages between January and February 2021.
“As the women’s movement, we know very well from our experience of working with women and girls, through providing support, community engagement and research, that the major culprit for teen pregnancies in Zimbabwe is the loop-hole in the law pertaining to the legal age of consent to sex, which over the years has left girls aged 16 and 17 vulnerable and at the mercy of paedophiles who enjoyed full protection of the law,” Africa Trust country operations manager for sexual reproductive health and rights Hamida Ismail-Mauto said.
A UNFPA report shows that Zimbabwe has an adolescent fertility rate of 108 per 1000 among women aged 15 to 19 years.
WCoZ also called upon policymakers to spearhead the review process of national legislation, practices and customs and abolish laws that perpetuate sexual violence, abuse and exploitation of girls.
“Stakeholders and women’s rights advocates are urged to keep the fight going for alignment of laws and prohibition practices that promote sexual abuse and exploitation of girls,” the coalition says.
