The Lived Experiences of Survivors of Child Marriage: The Case of Epworth, A Harare Municipality in Zimbabwe
Ropafadzo Dambudzo Muchawaya 
, Pius Tanga & Gabriel Acha Ekobi
Issue: Vol.4 No.8 Article 8 pp.992-1005
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023488 | Published online 11th August, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Child marriage is socio-economic distress for young women and girls globally, most importantly in developing nations. Child marriage is a violation of human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 16). Even though studies had been conducted on child marriages in Zimbabwe, very little has been done in relation to lived experiences of survivors of child marriages. The study’s aim was to explore the survivors’ experiences of child marriages in Zimbabwe. The study focused on Epworth, a Harare Municipality. It employed a qualitative research approach with thirty-six (36) participants taking part. Data was collected using semi-structured and unstructured interviews. The themes identified were causes of child marriage, challenges faced by child marriage survivors and coping mechanisms used by survivors to survive. The findings revealed that poverty and unemployment were the main causes of child marriage. As a result of these, young girls get married to secure a better life. Depression and humiliation were challenges faced by child marriage survivors. Street vending, attending churches and prayers were coping strategies used by child marriage survivors to survive. The paper concluded that child marriage is a significant socio-economic concern for young girls. It is recommended that income-generating community-based projects such as social support networks should be made available to survivors of child marriage to access basic opportunities.
Keywords: Child, Child Marriage, Survivor, Lived Experience, The African Girl Child.
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Ropafadzo Dambudzo Muchawaya holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Zimbabwe and a master’s degree in W ork from the University of Fort Hare. Currently, she is a Research and Training Intern at Vectra International.
Pius Tanga holds a PhD and is currently a full professor of Social Work at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. His research interests are in household poverty dynamics, social protection, and social work education. Pius has published extensively, and he is a recipient of many research awards.
Dr Gabriel Acha Ekobi is a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Social Work and Social Development, University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Development Studies. He is a member of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa and the Memory Studies Association. Gabriel research interests include food security, informal economy, indigenous knowledge systems and social protection.
Muchawaya,Ropafadzo Dambudzo, Tanga, Pius and Ekobi, Ekobi, Gabriel Acha.“The Lived Experiences of Survivors of Child Marriage: The Case of Epworth, A Harare Municipality in Zimbabwe.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.8 (2023): 992-1005. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023488
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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