HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – In Zimbabwe, where girls as young as 10 years old are forced to marry due to poverty or traditional and religious practices, a teen taekwondo enthusiast is using the sport to give girls in an impoverished community a chance to live.
“Not many people do taekwondo here, so it’s fascinating for the girls, both married and single. I use it to get their attention, ”said 17-year-old Natsiraishe Maritsa, a martial arts fan since the age of 5 who now uses taekwondo to bring young girls and mothers together to join hands and fight child marriage.
Children as young as four and some of Natsiraishe’s former classmates who are now married are lined up in the small, dusty yard outside her parents’ home in the poor settlement of Epworth, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) southeast of the capital. , Harare.
They enthusiastically follow her instructions to stretch, kick, hit, hit and spar. After class, they talk about the dangers of child marriage. The newlywed girls held their babies and took the lead.
One after another, they shared how their marriages have turned into slavery, including verbal and physical abuse, marital rape, pregnancy-related health complications and hunger.
‘We are not ready for marriage yet. We’re just too young for it, ”Maritsa told The Associated Press after the session, saying it is“ a safe space ”for the girls to exchange ideas.
“The role of teenage mothers is usually ignored when people campaign against child marriage. Here I use their voices, their challenges, to discourage those young girls who are not yet married to stay away from early sexual activity and marriage, ”said Maritsa.
Neither boys nor girls are legally allowed to marry until the age of 18, according to Zimbabwean law passed after the Constitutional Court repealed previous legislation in 2016 that allowed girls to marry at the age of 16.
Nonetheless, the practice remains widespread in the economically struggling South African country, where an estimated 30% of girls are married before they turn 18, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. Child marriage is common in Africa and increasing poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on families to marry off their young daughters.
For some poor families in Zimbabwe, marrying off a young daughter means less of a burden, and the bride price paid by the husband is often “ used by families as a means of survival, ” according to Girls Not Brides, an organization campaigning to promote end child marriage.
Some religious sects encourage girls as young as 10 years old to marry much older men for “spiritual guidance,” while some families, to avoid “shame,” force girls who engage in premarital sex to marry their boyfriends, the organization said. .
Maritsa, through her association called Vulnerable Underaged People’s Auditorium, hopes to build the confidence of both married and single girls through the martial arts classes and discussions that follow.
Zimbabwe’s ban on public gatherings imposed last week as part of strict lockdown measures to try to slow an unprecedented rise in new COVID-19 infections has forced Maritsa to suspend the sessions, but she hopes to resume as soon as the lockdown has been lifted.
“Because the young mothers are hopeless, they feel empowered … because they can use their stories to keep other girls from falling into the same trap,” said Maritsa, who said she started the project in 2018 after meeting her friends. had left school to get married. .
Some, like her best friend, 21-year-old Pruzmay Mandaza, are now planning to return to school, although her husband forced her to resign as vice president of the association and prevented her from participating in taekwondo training.
In the neatly decorated cottage, decorated with Maritsa’s medals and photographs, her parents prepare fruit juice and cookies for the girls – their sacrifice to aid their daughter’s efforts.
“I can only take 15 people per session because the only support I get is from my parents,” said Maritsa. “My dad is a small-scale farmer, my mom is a full-time housewife, but they sacrifice what little they have for what I want to achieve,” she said. “He’s my jogging partner,” she added, referring to her father.
Taekwondo isn’t very popular in soccer-mad Zimbabwe, but there are many professional and backyard training schools.
Despite her limited resources, Maritsa is committed to her mission.
Early marriages could increase as COVID-19 keeps children away from school and deepens poverty, women’s groups warn.
Even some of those attending Maritsa’s home sessions seem to have other priorities.
“We need to know how to keep our husbands happy, that’s what’s important,” said Privilege Chimombe, a 17-year-old mother of two who gave birth to her first child at the age of 13 and was abandoned by her husband. , after a recent session.
“These are the perceptions we have to fight,” Maritsa replied. “It’s hard, but it has to be done.”