Legal Analysis Of Child Motherhood In Zimbabwe

This thesis seeks to analyze the legal gaps that encourage or influence underage marriages or pregnancy in Zimbabwe and provide recommendations on how to eradicate them.As a sovereign nation with a strong legal system,Zimbabwe is obliged to protect everyone within its borders and more importantly,children.This should be the case,but young children are getting pregnant and being married at alarming rates.The same trend is seen around the world too as there is a growing awareness of the plight of girls throughout the globe,but this important issue is yet to be addressed more critically.According to provincial statistics in Zimbabwe,Manicaland and Mashonaland Central provinces have the highest number of child mothers averaging 27 and 30 per cent,respectively.The Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey reported that nine out of 10 teens aged 15 to 19 are sexually active,and two out three first have had sex before the age of 15,therefore,girls are at risk of becoming child mothers,without necessarily being married too.Consequently,the need to protect girls from early motherhood,and give effect to the rights of girls who are already child mothers becomes a pressing issue.It has sparked a great deal of concern among the people of the global village because of the devastating effects it has had on individuals who have been afflicted.When it comes to the status quo,Gage(2011)points to historical gender disparities that persist within families and make girls feel less valued as citizens of their nation.The author’s study indicates that there is little relevant research on the subject in underdeveloped nations like Zimbabwe.Qualitative data collection is used in this work.The data used in this study is mainly drawn from Zimbabwe’s Constitution,court cases,and other legally binding international publications.