Traditional leaders speak out for girls

Camfed brought together traditional leaders from rural areas of Zimbabwe earlier this month to tackle some of the problems facing young women in their communities.Eleven chiefs from some of the most remote rural areas of the country pledged to become more active in protecting girls from abuse in their chiefdoms. The chiefs also recognised the importance of challenging some of the harmful customs that undermine young women’s health and safety – including marrying girls as young as 16 and virginity testing.

“It’s crucial to bring together traditional leaders because they are the custodians of our culture,” said Angeline Mugwendere, director of Cama – the Camfed Association of young women who have graduated from school.

“Politicians come and go, but traditional leaders are permanent,” she said. “They are the key people in making lasting changes in our rural communities.”

Camfed works hand in hand with senior traditional chiefs like Chief Mutekedza from the Chikomba District – who is also a Camfed patron – to challenge some of the barriers that have prevented girls from going to school and from progressing in rural Zimbabwe.

“The security of girls is one of the main topics,” says Chief Mutekedza, who has appointed a female assessor to his chief’s court so that girls are more willing to come forward and report abuse.

“Girls should not be afraid in their community,” he said. “I do not tolerate any form of abuse and have caused seven men to go to jail for abusing girls.”

Camfed is working with traditional leaders like Chief Mutekedza to enable more girls across rural Zimbabwe to go to school.

“Girls without education are like refugees in their own Motherland,” said Chief Mutekedza. “They marry in darkness expecting their husbands to look after them, but when a husband loses his job he has nothing to offer and chases his wife away. Education is our prosperity. As chiefs, we are concerned about the well-being of our community and education is one way of safeguarding it.”

The traditional leaders who came together earlier this month agreed to continue their discussions in their own chiefdoms and to take some of these important issues to the national Chiefs’ Council for further discussion.

“We need to be honest with ourselves as well, and discuss customs that abuse children.” said Chief Hata from the Nyanga region.

“This meeting has been very helpful,” he said. ”I am excited because it is a beginning to the ending of child abuse.”