The Sunday Mail
Tanyaradzwa Rusike
FORCED into an early marriage at 17, Samantha Chidodo (who is now 23), is a mother who is desperately fighting to transform her miserable past into a bright future.
Having been forced to drop out of school and married off to an abusive husband, Samantha’s story is one of hope and courage.
The mother-of-one said in the two years of her marriage, her former husband constantly reminded her that she was “worthless”, but she has now carved a path to transform her narrative.
“I was forced into a marriage at the age of 17, because of the apostolic doctrine. At that time my then-husband was 27 years old.
“He was very abusive, and l was assaulted several times for no reason. Because he did not want me to continue with my education, I started vending and he took all the money from my enterprise,” she said.
After realising that her situation was not getting any better, she decided to leave the marriage and continue with her education.
She is now in her third-year, at Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, where she is pursuing a law degree.
“My ex-husband would tell me that education was not necessary for a girl child; that it was just a waste of resources.
“When I walked out of that marriage I decided to go back to school. I got assistance from Rozaria Memorial Trust to continue with my education.
“Although it is not easy to go back to school as a mother, because of stigmatisation and discrimination, I was not discouraged by what people were saying.
“I did my A-level and passed with flying colours, and now I am doing law at Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University,” she said.
Samantha is also an entrepreneur, and is contributing to the Nhanga initiative, which helps to empower young girls.
“I am now leading Nhanga sessions, where I advise other girls not to hurry into marriages and to also avoid getting into forced marriages.
“I am also a young entrepreneur who owns a small shop in our area in Shamva. I also run a small business at college, to help fund my education and take care of my son.
“I believe that one day I will be a great businesswoman,” said Samantha.
“As a victim of child marriage, I will advocate for children’s rights, and I am also willing to help anyone who is in a similar situation that I was in.”
African Union (AU) goodwill ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriages, Dr Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, said there is need for society to change its mindset towards the girl child.
“The socialisation norm that exists, which does not value the girl child, does not give women a voice or allow girls to make decisions, or to contribute to decisions within their families.
“Therefore they do not have a strong say on issues that affect their lives, even if these issues hurt them the most.
“There is less prioritisation for the girl child to go to school. Many girls that I interact with, barely complete form four, and this lack of education limits their opportunities.”
Dr Gumbonzvanda said punitive penalties should be handed to those who abuse innocent girls.
Cleric, pastor Rhoda Mafukidze, urged the church to protect the rights of the girl child.
“If the scriptures are correctly interpreted, we can clearly see that Jesus Christ empowered the woman.
I could say a lot, but just the fact that Jesus Christ came through a woman in a patriarchal society, an irrefutable point was made,” she said.
“There are a lot of cultural and religious beliefs and practices that are harmless to one’s quality of life.
“However, the culture of child marriages by some apostolic sects is retrogressive, evil and oppressive to the girl child.
“The religious leaders of these sects should be confronted and stiff penalties enacted for perpetrators.”
