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MS.

BUNJIRA:
Thank you Mr. Speaker for affording me this opportunity to make my
contribution on this motion which is very touching. I want to thank
the mover and seconder of this motion. I also want to thank hon.
members who have made their contributions. Let me add some few
points on what has already been contributed.
I want to thank the chiefs. I have been told that the chiefs had a
meeting with the Senate, discussing some of these issues and they
were against these early marriages. Therefore, I say to chiefs, thank
you for the stance you have taken. I also plead with the chiefs that
in every district or in your chiefdom, may you please have scouts
who will be closely looking to find out whether nothing of that sort is
taking place in your areas whereby early marriages are taking place
because if you have scouts and whistle blowers who will be giving
out that information, we will be able to curb that kind of a life style.
What is happening is, these early marriages are taking place in
remote areas of our country. We believe the chief is the custodian of
our customs and if the chief is empowered and empowers his
subjects on scouting for such misdemeanors, these people can be
arrested and this problem can easily be curbed. The chief should
have the powers of interrogating if these scouts come to a place and
find a young girl at a homestead and suspect she is married there,
they should interrogate to find the truth.
We have also noted through research that these children who marry
early than normal, when they get pregnant, die while giving birth
because they are not yet mature. As a result, we have also noted
that the children when they are impregnated, are not allowed to go
to hospitals because they fear that they will be interrogated and the
responsible man will be brought to book. If it is an old irresponsible
man, that man should be convicted and be given stiffer sentence.
When we talk of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, I plead with the
powers that be, that we need to follow this hook, line and sinker;
whatever is in the Constitution, as the supreme law of the country. I
also plead with our courts, the High Courts and Magistrates Courts,
at times the offender engages a lawyer and that criminal is either
let off the hook or is given lighter sentence. As a result, that minor
girl when she gives birth, the child will not be able to know the
father because the man will have denied responsibility and would
have been let off the hook by our legal system.
I may also dare say, this has led to the increase of street children.
What happens is most of these young mothers die earlier and the
children out of such union end up staying with grandparents. Those
grandparents cannot take care of them, hence the children resort to

street life and they grow into criminals. We need to curb this while
there is still time.
Mothers, we are also responsible, we are aware of children who are
sexually abused in our homes and we are quiet about it. I still have
to come across a situation where a young man says I have been
raped but the girl child is spoiled by being impregnated by these
irresponsible elderly men. I also plead that whosoever is convicted
of raping an underage girl child should not be afforded access to a
lawyer. I plead with the legal system; if that person is convicted, he
should not be allowed to defend himself but only sentenced to a
lengthy and stiffer penalty. If this man is let off the hook, he talks of
marriage and that girl is forced into marriage.
If the case is taken to court, it takes a long time without sentence
passed. When a case goes to court, many times it ends up being
struck off the register in the Magistrates or High Court. The offender
goes scot-free but the bitter person is that girl child who has been
denied justice.
We have noted through research that those traumatised children
also become mentally disturbed.
I will give a personal testimony of my brother who attempted to
rape his own daughter. We have some men who rape their own
biological children because they would have been advised by witch
doctors so that they become rich. My niece came to me and told me
that her father attempted to rape her. She said she had informed
her mother but the mother is said her husband cannot do that;
protecting her husband. She was afraid of being divorced.
I went and discussed with my sister-in-law, then I talked to my
brother. I thought he had understood but he once again tried to rape
his daughter and I informed the daughter to report to the police.
When she reported and the case was taken to court, my brother was
only sentenced to one year because the case was taken as
attempted rape not real rape. I feel that one year is too little. The
offender would not have felt the pain of being in jail and this might
lead him to do it again.
When a sentence is muted out, it should be a lesson to other would
be offenders that if they break the law by trying to rape, they will be
sentenced to long periods not just a mere one year. When my
brother was released from prison, he said that he had repented and
that he would not do it again. I thank the rehabilitation programmes
in our prisons because they managed to change my brothers
attitude.

I am saying the offence of impregnating or raping an under-age girl


is the worst compared to murder. At times, these people are then
forced into early marriages so that they protect the offender, but
that person will be stigmatised by the people within the area in
which they live. Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for giving me this
opportunity to make my contribution on this motion. I thank you.

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