Talent Gore
CHILDREN’S rights movements and activists have welcomed the new law that criminalises having sexual relations with anyone below the age of 18.
Shamwari Yemwanasikana director, Ekenia Chifamba, said they were elated.
“We have been struggling with issues of consent for a very long time, initially when the SI was introduced through the highest office, the President’s Office, that was a positive move for us because we felt that it would help solve many issues that we’ve been struggling with when we would go to the courts of law with girls mostly between the ages of 15 to 18,” she said.
“Perpetrators were getting away with a lot of sexual abuse cases and we have also been seeing media being awash with shocking statistics of teen pregnancies, the majority of them also emanating from the digital age.
“We applaud the President for acknowledging that this issue be treated with urgency so that we protect our young women and girls, our hope is that the law should be unpacked in different languages.”
Chifamba added:
“There is so much awareness raising that needs to be done on social media, through various media platforms, in the communities, at public water collecting points, when people are meeting.
“We want each and every Zimbabwean to have access and also the knowledge on how this policy is really structured.
“We are now confident that when we go to the courts of law with these cases, perpetrators will get what they deserve because we have been seeing the majority of them getting community service and others sadly walking away freely.”
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) communications and advocacy lead, Isabella Michael, hailed the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Act of Zimbabwe.
“With this new law, we expect a reduction and a STOP to teenage pregnancies, child marriages, maternal morbidities and mortalities in our country.
“We encourage children and adolescents and the community to utilise our toll-free 577 number to report sexual exploitation and abuse and we will assist.
“Going forward we look forward to the government heeding the concerns over access to reproductive health services for young people who find themselves in predicaments where they need services.”
Child rights activist, Maxim Murungweni, said this was a progressive move taken by the government to protect the country’s children from sexual abuse and exploration.
Maxim Murungweni
“This also shows the government’s commitment to making sure that children are protected in line with regional and international statutes such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the child,” he said.
“We call upon each and every stakeholder to make sure that the law is fully implemented and continue to make the community safer for our children.”