Married off at 13, Maureen lost her education and her health. Her plight is common in a country racked by economic turmoil<\/p>\n
The end of Maureen\u2019s days at a primary school in north-eastern\u00a0Zimbabwemarked the beginning of her life as a wife.<\/p>\n
At 13, the brightest student in her class in Mudzi, Mashonaland, she was married to a man three times her age.<\/p>\n
Her father, a poor farmer, had promised to fund Maureen\u2019s secondary education but, when the time came, he could not raise the money. Marrying off his daughter was a quick fix. Maureen swiftly fell pregnant and was still 13 when she gave birth after spending hours in labour. The baby did not survive.<\/p>\n
Three years on and Maureen is at Chinhoyi provincial hospital. She is among the scores of underage brides being cared for here who are\u00a0suffering from obstetric fistula, caused by prolonged labour.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI haven\u2019t forgiven my parents for doing this to me. I had a bright future but now they treat me like an outcast,\u201d says Maureen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my parents told me about the marriage I couldn\u2019t believe it, because they had always given me the impression that I was their most intelligent child and I would pursue my studies. The man was abusive, he called me names and beat me several times, especially after I lost my baby,\u201d she says. \u201cMy dreams were destroyed by that man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Child marriage in Zimbabwe is often driven by poverty. Dowries offer a welcome, if brief, respite from penury in poor households struggling to weather a\u00a0vicious economic crisis. The brides, though, are more likely to remain in a state of privation due to lack of personal development and education.<\/p>\n
Although\u00a0underage marriage is illegal\u00a0and local organisations have been fighting against it as an economic transaction, the financial meltdown has worsened the situation. About one in every three girls in Zimbabwe\u00a0is married before\u00a0the age of 18, the legal age of consent.<\/p>\n
According to campaign organisation Girls Not Brides, families see little worth in girls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many communities, economic opportunities are severely limited, especially for girls and women. Families therefore see little value in educating their daughters and instead marry them off to fulfil the role of a wife and mother,\u201d says a Girls Not Brides spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe is facing an acute shortage of cash and, as\u00a0basic commoditiesdisappear\u00a0from the shelves, families\u2019 disposable income has been depleted.<\/p>\n
Rights defenders say child marriage, outlawed by the Zimbabwean constitutional court in 2016, has spiralled in the rural areas that constitute 75% of the country.<\/p>\n
Kresi, 16, from Masvingo, is another teenager whose future was jeopardised when she was married off to a cattle farmer in her village. Her family received a dowry of two cows and a few groceries in exchange for Kresi. She also suffers from obstetric fistula, a hole between the genital tract and bladder or rectum caused by lengthy or obstructed labour.<\/p>\n
Women and girls who experience obstetric fistula suffer constant incontinence, shame, social segregation and further health problems. It is estimated that\u00a0more than 2 million young women\u00a0in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa live with the condition untreated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt cheap and abused. My mates are in high school doing well for themselves. [My family] had no business selling me off. Now I have this condition which I cannot control. No one has even come to see me in this hospital,\u201d Kresi says, sobbing.<\/p>\n
Tendai, 14, of Bindura says her family gave her away in exchange for 100 Zimbabwean dollars (22p).<\/p>\n
She was married to a man with three wives. As the youngest wife, Tendai is burdened with both child-bearing and work in the fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still want to go back to school. I just hope my husband can give me that chance. But as the youngest wife I have to do everything here at home,\u201d Tendai says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Married off at 13, Maureen lost her education and her health. Her plight is common in a country racked by economic turmoil The end of Maureen\u2019s days at a primary school in north-eastern\u00a0Zimbabwemarked the beginning of her life as a wife. At 13, the brightest student in her class in Mudzi, Mashonaland, she was married […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[216,217],"class_list":{"0":"post-1012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-children","10":"tag-schools"},"yoast_head":"\n