UNICEF Zimbabwe campaign role models vow to end child marriages
‘Joining UNICEF campaign to #EmpowerWomen and #EndChildMarriage as role models in our own communities feels like a privilege.’
Harare, Zimbabwe – Isabel Mupatsa (20) defied the odds. Her passion in ending child marriages is drawn straight from personal life experiences.
Mupatsa never imagined that one day, she would live to use her life experience to motivate and empower fellow young women in UNICEF’s campaign to end child marriages in Zimbabwe.
Mupatsa is one of the role models that joined UNICEF’s campaign to empower women and end child marriages in Zimbabwe.
As part of UNICEF’s ongoing campaign on Child Protection, UNICEF Role Models against Child Marriage, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda (Founder and Executive Director of the Rozaria Memorial Trust and Former African Union Ambassador for Ending Child Marriage) Linclon Tatenda Bipiti (UNICEF Adolescent and Youth Advisory committee member) and Isabel Mupatsa (youth advocate for Ending Child marriage) held a three-way discussion on how best they can advocate against Child marriage in Zimbabwe.
During the discussion, Mupatsa expressed confidence that her personal experience would serve as a living testimony towards motivating fellow young women and girls. Like the adage says: experience is the best teacher.
“I think the first step to empowering a girl child is to give her space to speak and make her own decisions. After I fell pregnant at 16, my mother asked me what I wanted. The family ordered me to elope with the man responsible, but I was adamant I wanted to go back to school,” she said.
“My mother stood by me and ensured I returned to school.”
“Who knows what would have happened to me if my mother had not stood with me when I fell pregnant at 16?”
“It’s not just about ending child marriages; we need to educate the girl child to believe in her dreams and make her own choices in life; we must empower women to win this campaign against child marriages.”
“Given the story of my life, I think I can motivate fellow peers based on my experience.”
“Working with UNICEF’s Adolescent Youth Advisory Committee team, we discuss views on child marriage with young people and get feedback across all provinces,” said Mupatsa.
This 20-year-old UNICEF youth advocate is one of the fortunate to emerge out of a situation restored and empowered enough to motivate fellow peers.
“Joining the UNICEF Adolescent and Youth Advisory Committee, going back to school, and passing my ordinary and advanced levels was my greatest achievement. So, to every young girl who has gone through the same experience as mine, I want to tell you that it is not the end of the road. Whatever you desire, you can still achieve. Go for it,” said the now empowered youth advocate and newly enrolled university student, Mupatsa.
According to the Zimbabwe’s Multiple Cluster Survey 2019, one woman out of three in Zimbabwe (aged 20 to 49) was married before age 18; 5% of girls were married before age 15.
UNICEF Adolescent Youth Advisory Committee member and youth advocate for Ending Child Marriage Lincoln Tatenda Bipiti emphasised the need to equally involve the boy child in this empowerment drive to end child marriages.
“As a boy child, I can also be involved in fighting against child marriages,” he said.
“The economic development of a country is affected if a girl child fails to succeed. The consequences affect me too. I feel a high sense of responsibility to create awareness about the impact of the widespread practice of child marriage in my country. It is important that I too - as a boy - advocate to end child marriages,” said Bipiti.
Mupatsa concurred with Bipiti saying that resolving to equally empower the boy child would assist in shifting the African social discourse.
‘Boys influence parents a lot.”
“Boys should be empowered to stimulate positive influence in favour of the girl child,” said Mupatsa.
Child marriage often leads to school drop-out of the girl child and early pregnancies before a girl is mentally and physically ready to give birth and care for a young child, thereby denying them the right to develop to their full potential.
“As a boy child, I can also be involved in fighting against child marriages,” he said.
“The economic development of a country is affected if a girl child fails to succeed. The consequences affect me too. I feel a high sense of responsibility to create awareness about the impact of the widespread practice of child marriage in my country. It is important that I too - as a boy - advocate to end child marriages,” said Bipiti.
Mupatsa concurred with Bipiti saying that resolving to equally empower the boy child would assist in shifting the African social discourse.
‘Boys influence parents a lot.”
“Boys should be empowered to stimulate positive influence in favour of the girl child,” said Mupatsa.
Child marriage often leads to school drop-out of the girl child and early pregnancies before a girl is mentally and physically ready to give birth and care for a young child, thereby denying them the right to develop to their full potential.
Former African Union Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage, Founder and Executive Director of Rosaria Memorial Trust, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, expressed concern at society’s standardisation of a term such as “child marriage”.
“For me, what people call a child marriage is not a marriage. This is child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and child labour. It’s a bundle of violations against children, and for us to feel good, we call it ‘child marriage’ to normalize and sanitise a social unacceptability – a crime,” she said.
Former African Union Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage, Founder and Executive Director of Rosaria Memorial Trust, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, expressed concern at society’s standardisation of a term such as “child marriage”.
“For me, what people call a child marriage is not a marriage. This is child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and child labour. It’s a bundle of violations against children, and for us to feel good, we call it ‘child marriage’ to normalize and sanitise a social unacceptability – a crime,” she said.
Dr Gumbonzvanda welcomed the ongoing campaign of UNICEF and partners to change the perception of women and girls in society as its advocacy work towards ending child marriages continues to bear fruit.
The objective of UNICEF and its partners working closely with the Government of Zimbabwe is for people to understand that the role of women should not be reduced to being mothers but be given the possibility to develop to their full potential as equal members of society.
Children experience various forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse, even in spaces where they are supposed to be protected. UNICEF – with funding of Sweden – works closely with the Government of Zimbabwe to protect children against violence, exploitation, and abuse.
Dr Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Lincoln Tatenda Bipiti and Isabel Mupatsa, role models of UNICEF’s campaign to #EmpowerWomen and #EndChildMarriage, call everyone to join the campaign and the petition here.
