By Wallace Mawire
HARARE — The United Nations (UN) has called for increased investment and accelerated action to end child marriages in Zimbabwe, urging the Government, civil society organisations, communities and development partners to strengthen efforts to protect girls’ rights and expand their opportunities.
In a statement ahead of the International Day of the Girl 2026, commemorated on October 11, the UN, under the technical leadership of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Women, joined Plan International and other stakeholders in reaffirming their commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of girls.
The commemoration is being held under the theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights,” which highlights the need to ensure that every girl grows up safe, healthy, educated and empowered to shape her own future.
The UN acknowledged that Zimbabwe had made progress in advancing the rights and well-being of girls but said many continued to face barriers that limited their opportunities and threatened their futures.
According to the UN, an estimated one in three girls in Zimbabwe is married before the age of 18, while 23 percent of girls aged between 15 and 19 have begun childbearing.
The organisation said child marriage and teenage pregnancy continued to disrupt girls’ education, threaten their health and well-being, and undermine their ability to participate fully in society.
“Behind these statistics are girls whose education is interrupted, whose health and wellbeing are put at risk, and whose opportunities to participate fully in society are constrained,” said UN Resident Coordinator Rosemary Kalapurakal.
“Child marriage and teenage pregnancy violate girls’ rights to education, health, protection, bodily autonomy and participation. They perpetuate cycles of poverty, inequality and exclusion, and increase girls’ vulnerability to violence and exploitation.”
Kalapurakal said early marriage and teenage pregnancy deprived communities of the opportunity to benefit from the contributions of future leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers.
“Ending child marriage and addressing teenage pregnancy are therefore not only moral imperatives, but also critical investments in Zimbabwe’s social and economic development,” she said.
The UN said accelerating efforts to end child marriage was essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which calls for the elimination of harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage.
It emphasised that addressing the problem required more than legal and policy reforms, calling for sustained investment by the Government, civil society, communities, development partners and the private sector in programmes that advance girls’ rights and opportunities.
The organisation said priorities included ensuring access to quality education and comprehensive health services, protecting girls from violence and harmful practices, and expanding opportunities for leadership, civic participation, skills development and economic empowerment.
It also stressed that girls must be at the centre of initiatives designed to improve their lives, describing them not merely as beneficiaries of development programmes but as leaders, advocates and agents of change.
Their voices, experiences, priorities and aspirations, the UN said, should inform the policies, programmes and investments that affect them.
The organisation further called for collective efforts to address harmful social and gender norms that contribute to child marriage and teenage pregnancy while restricting opportunities for girls.
It said meaningful change required the involvement of parents and caregivers, traditional and religious leaders, boys and men, educators, communities, civil society organisations, development partners and the private sector.
Initiatives such as the Not-in-My-Village Campaign to End Adolescent Pregnancy, the Not-In-My-School campaign and the Prevention of Child Marriages and Child Labour initiative (PREaCH) were cited as examples of efforts aimed at mobilising communities to address these challenges.
The UN urged stakeholders to translate their commitments into practical action, calling on the Government and its partners to ensure that programmes and services were adequately funded and reached every girl, particularly those in vulnerable situations.
Communities, families and traditional and religious leaders were encouraged to challenge practices that promoted child marriage and teenage pregnancy while supporting girls to remain in school.
The private sector was also urged to invest in girls’ skills development, expand their opportunities and create pathways to decent work.
The organisation said all stakeholders had a responsibility to listen to girls, respect their choices and ensure they had a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their lives.
“As we commemorate the International Day of the Girl 2026, we reaffirm our commitment to turn commitments into action. Progress must ultimately be measured not by promises made, but by tangible improvements in the lives of girls across Zimbabwe,” the UN said.
It added that Zimbabwe’s future depended on the opportunities created for girls today, noting that ending child marriage, addressing adolescent pregnancy and investing in girls’ rights would contribute to stronger families, more resilient communities and a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable future.
“Together, let us ensure that every girl has the freedom, opportunity, and support to shape her own future — and the future of Zimbabwe,” the UN said.