The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has entered the fray to fight the scourge of forced child marriages that has been rearing its ugly head in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sunday World laid bare the hardships of pupils in uMzimkhulu under the Harry Gwala district who bear the brunt of forced marriages in the area.
Pupils who spoke to this paper told harrowing tales of horse-riding thugs who abducted and forced them to marry them under the pretext of ukuthwala (forced marriage).
Now the chapter nine institution has called for a multi-disciplinary approach to end the practice and protect young girls.
“Sometimes it’s difficult because communities claim they are practicing their culture. But things cannot remain this way.
“Society has a duty to protect young girls,” explained Zanele Ncwane CGE commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal.
She noted that Harry Gwala and uThukela districts had a high rate of child and forced marriages.
“This has led to a high rate of school drop-outs and teenage pregnancy. In most instances, young girls are impregnated by older partners and instead of families opening charges of rape, they negotiate lobola.”
In the latest incident, a 16-year-old residing in Nhlumayo village under the uThukela district, escaped the claws of a would-be husband when she was ambushed on her way back from school.
It is believed her friend was coerced into participating in her abduction.
“She told me that we should go to her home after school and study together. When we arrived, two men forced me into a rondavel, where there were women waiting for me.
“I was then instructed to take off my uniform and wear traditional attire. The elderly ladies explained that I was now somebody’s wife,” she recalled.
Inkosi Ngqayizivele Sithole, the deputy chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial house of traditional leaders confirmed the incident.
“I was informed of the incident, and we intervened in time to rescue the girl. But what is becoming clear is that there should be more education about the law and rights of traditional leaders and rural communities,” said Sithole.
“While it is not often reported, child marriages are a global crisis cutting across all religious and cultural groupings.
“Niger is known for having the highest rate of child marriages globally, standing at 78% of girls who are forced to marry before they reach 18 years.
“In China, such traditional practices are rife under the Shim-Pua marriage.
A future husband’s family adopts a pre-adolescent girl, who in turn is married off to a pre-adolescent boy within the family,” said Sithole.
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