PYD Press Statement- Johannes Tomana must be Investigated over his retrogressive utterances on child marriage

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) is not only alarmed but shocked and confused over the retrogressive views expressed by the Prosecutor- General Mr. Johannes Tomana on child marriages. As a youth pressure group that works in Manicaland province and campaigns against child marriages, we find his views as suspect therefore recommending that his motives for such reasoning be investigated because it has capacity to undermine the good work of all campaigners for children’s rights in Zimbabwe.

 Mr. Johannes Tomana’s   expressed opinion that girls as young as 12 years are capable of consenting to sex is contestable morally and psychologically .At the Platform for Youth Development we find Mr Tomana’s view to be aimed at defending child abusers and molesters who have been given light sentences in Zimbabwe.Mr Tomana has views that contradicts the constitution of Zimbabwe where the age of consent to sex is 16 years. Mr. Johannes Tomana’s defence line is weak for it fails to take into consideration the unfortunate circumstances around girl child marriages which have been due to their vulnerability and lack of prosecuting laws that protects the right of children.

 To use only the Zimbabwean socio and economic environment for defense sounds hypocritical in view of global campaigns against children’s rights. PYD does not want the public to take Mr. Tomana lightly, considering his social standing in society as a Prosecutor General. Platform for Youth Development (PYD) is worried that such expressed views by Tomana may influence society and encourage more children to be abused due to the high appetite for child marriages associated with HIV and AIDS myth in Zimbabwe.

The fact that most young girls in a rural set up fail to complete school is due to known socio-cultural and economic challenges that Mr. Tomana cannot justify as good reason to defend the marriage of 12 year olds .The hopelessness associated with early marriages can be resolved by the advocacy of civic society engagement with a responsible government.Mr Tomana need to be ashamed for undermining his role as a prosecutor to defend male chauvinists and perpetrators of child marriages.

This reasoning by Johannes Tomana is retrogressive especially as we are still in the mood of commemorating the Day of the African Child whose theme this year was 25 Years after the Adoption of the Children’s charter: Accelerating our collective efforts to End Child Marriages in Africa. The Day of the African Child is commemorated on 16 June every year.

Johannes Tomana is trying to defend an anomally, especially with Zimbabwe being among African countries with the highest prevalence of child marriages. According to the  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),in the state of the World’s Children report (2015),Mashonaland Central leads in Child marriages with 50%.In second place is Mashonaland West with 42%,Masvingo 39%,Mashonaland East 36%,Midlands 31%,Manicaland  30%,Matebelaland North 27%,Harare  19%,,Matebelaland South 18% while Bulawayo has the least prevalence with 10%.

It is for our defense for children’s rights that Platform for Youth Development Trust reiterates that Mr. Johannes Tomana must be investigated for choosing to go against the progress achieved by civic society campaigners like PYD, who are against child marriages.

Inserted by PYD Information Department

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