Hunger-stricken parents in Mbire District exchange girls for grain
The devastating impact of the ongoing drought has resulted in parents of teenage girls in Mbire District exchaging them for grain.
As a result 16 Grade 7 girls were unable to sit for their finalnexams due to pregnancy.
“Amid a severe drought, parents were increasingly trading their children for grain,” a teacher at Monozi Primary School in Mbire District said.
This desperate situation further exacerbates the vulnerability of young girls in the community.
The gravity of the situation is not lost on local leaders. Ms Rudo Chidembo, the Chipita Village head, expressed her deep concern.
“Children remain victims to such acts and I was sad to hear about the girls who failed to sit for their final examinations,” she commented.
The stark revelation emerged last week from Monozi Primary School in Zimbabwe’s Mbire District: 16 pupils missed their Level Seven Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) examinations due to pregnancy.
This alarming statistic, revealed during the inaugural session of a mobile one-stop centre outreach programme, underscores a complex web of social challenges impacting the community.
The mobile one-stop centres represent a crucial initiative aimed at addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and related inequalities across Zimbabwe. The programme brings together various partners to offer comprehensive services directly to communities, tackling issues at their source.
These services, offered during community outreaches, include birth registration assistance from the Department of Civil Registry, clinical services provided by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and legal support from organisations such as the Musasa project.
A teacher at Monozi Primary School painted a grim picture of the situation. “We submit monthly reports on school dropouts to the district. As of late, 16 seventh-grade girls this year failed to sit for their Zimsec examinations and we have determined that parents in this community do not value a girl’s education,” she stated.
The teacher’s comments highlight a concerning disregard for girls’ education within the community.
The problem extends beyond teenage pregnancies. The teacher also highlighted the prevalence of abuse against teenage, particularly those at puberty stage.
“We have also noticed that the girl-child is being abused, especially those at puberty stage. Even if we get a case reported of abuse, you find that parents are going behind our backs and getting payment tokens from abusers and life goes on,” she explained while revealing a disturbing pattern of complicity and a prioritization of financial gain over the well-being of young girls.
She sees the mobile one-stop centres as a vital tool in combating these issues.
“These mobile one-stop centres have come at the right time to make sure that they completely deal with the rise of college pregnancies, sexual abuse and early marriages and I hope the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the United Nations Development Fund put permanent structures so that we end such ills,” she added.
