CHILD MARRIAGE IN ZIMBABWE

UNCLAS HARARE 000424

SIPDIS

AF/S FOR BNEULING
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVELLE, D. TEITELBAUM
USDOC FOR ROBERT TELCHIN, TREASURY FOR OREN WYCHE-SHAW,
PASS USTR FOR FLORIZELLE LISER, STATE PASS USAID FOR
MARJORIE COPSON, US MISSION GENEVA FOR JOHN CHAMBERLIN,
USDOL FOR ROBERT YOUNG, G/IWI FOR LYNN KHADIAGALA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV ECON ELAB SCUL SOCI KWMN ZI HIV AIDS
SUBJECT: CHILD MARRIAGE IN ZIMBABWE

REF: STATE 36341


1. (SBU) Summary: The GOZ and NGOs in Zimbabwe have not
focused significantly on the issue of child marriage to date,
focusing more on the effects of households headed by children
in a society devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) The following corresponds to questions in paragraph
6 of reftel:

A) Zimbabwe has two forms of marriage, civil marriage and
customary marriage. The legal age for a civil marriage is 16
for girls and 18 for boys with no separate lower legal age
for marriage with parental consent. Customary marriage, duly
recognized under the Customary Marriages Act, does not
provide for a minimum marriage age for either boys or girls.
However, the Sexual Offenses Act prohibits sexual relations
with anyone under 16 years of age.

B) According to Save the Children Norway, UNICEF, the
Ministry of Public Service and Social Welfare, and the Child
Protection Officer for the Zimbabwe Women,s Lawyers
Association, there are no good statistics on child marriage
prevalence in Zimbabwe. These child welfare stakeholders
concentrate on more pressing problems affecting children,
including especially the problem of households headed by
children, an unfortunate byproduct of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
(N.B. Zimbabwe has one of the highest infection rates in the
world, with more than a quarter of the adult population HIV
positive, and suffers nearly 100,000 deaths a year as a
result of the disease.) However, a number of the
stakeholders advised that they do occasionally see underage
marriages in the course of their other work.

C) There are currently no USG-funded initiatives directly
aimed at child marriage in Zimbabwe. Given our limited
bilateral relationship, USG assistance is limited primarily
to humanitarian endeavors, such as HIV/AIDS assistance, and
democracy and governance issues.
SCHULTZ