The Sunday Mail
Patisa Chigunguru, 17 years
Chitungwiza Cluster
THIS is what freedom feels like. Freedom from the maniacs who harvest happiness from tears of the girl child. It feels so good to have this sense of safety after so many years of endless efforts that all resulted in no change.
The recent Constitutional Court ruling that says marrying a girl who is under the age of 18 is a crime brought a smile on almost everyone’s face. The journey that started long back has almost come to an end and we are not ashamed to say that the government has done a great job.
A number of children and concerned elders embarked on a journey and did the work that we all applaud. The journey was not an easy one but the passion outweighed the obstacles faced. They entered the battlefield whole hearted for they knew that the war they had started was going to be full of bombshells.
A lot of girls suffered because they were often regarded as the minor beings. People always undermined the abilities of a girl child and for that reason she was barely noticed. The voice of the girl child was not taken seriously and neither was her cry heard.
For years there was calling and no answer but the girl child never gave up and kept on crying. As time passed, the crying became louder until those with the answers could not handle the noise anymore. Left with no choice but to answer to the call, the powers that be gave us the gift that entitled us to all the happiness that one could ever wish for.Having received such a gift I moved around and asked a couple of individuals what they thought. Mildred, a Local Governance student at Midlands State University said, “l was happy to hear that at last girls were secure from people who took advantage of them hiding behind religion /culture”.
A group of men who were sitting at a local vendor in Unit O said it is indeed a great platform for the girl child to excel in school and get to be mature before getting married.
Truth be told, maturity truly matters because a lot of women do not speak out after being abused because they are so young and immature that they are scared to speak up for themselves.
No words can explain the happiness felt by girls all over the country. Finally we have freedom from those animals in men’s skin (manimals).
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