Government Letting Children Down: Biti

Governments’ effort to protect children is not enough Harare East Legislator Tendai Biti has said.

Speaking during a press conference, Friday Biti said government’s failure to come up with a comprehensive law that protects children is evident that they are not putting enough effort to protect children.

“We are very worried that the government is not to key to address the issue of child marriages, to address the issue of sexual predators who are sleeping with children below the age of 18 for political reasons.

“Only 3 weeks ago a grade 7 child form Norton died on giving child birth despite the fact that the judgement in the Child Marriage Case was handed down on the 16th of January 2016 the government only came up with a Law prescribing child marriages in the form of marriages act which as you know only became law three weeks ago.

“So, it took the government six years to enact that law they still have not enacted the law raising the age of sexual consent to 18, so we don’t think the government is doing enough to protect children.

“Section 81 of the constitution is very clear on children’s rights, children need to be protected from bullying, children need to be protected from pornography, children need to be protected from domestic abuse, one of the ironies is that 2/3 of the children that are raped, they are actually raped by people that they know (Vana Sekuru vanenge vachitamba chiramu) and so forth and government is doing nothing.

He added that the Nyanga accident was also a result of government’s failure to enact comprehensive laws that protect children.

“It not just in the areas of domestic areas only last week Friday the 14th of October we lost six children in Nyanga, in the Nyanga Juliasdale bus accident because there is no law that says children cannot be driven at night, so our government is letting children down.

“The law that the government was ordered to make in the age of sexual consent case was the Diana Kamwinda case the ConCourt through Justice Makarawe said the government must come up with a comprehensive law to protect children not just a law that deal with the age of consent,” he said.

He also said children need to be protected especially the girl child because they are vulnerable.

“Children need to be protected particularly the girl child because they are vulnerable and sexual predators will be there, the so called blessers and sugar daddies and the law should be mobilised to protect children and everyone must play his role.

“The government must play its role in enacting legislation, community must play their role in particular the church, community leaders, traditional leaders but the biggest source of child protection comes from the homes, the parents.

“The constitution is very clear, the primary obligation in protection is the family unit, which is why the family is so important.

Biti went on to say the new Section 41 of the Marriages Act is disturbing the family unit as the child protector.

“I want to also mention that we are disturbed by new Section 41 of the Marriage’s Acts affects the family unit through the creation of this Civil Marriage in the context of Chapter 5.1 Marriage now a Section 5.11 Marriage but we need to protect the family unit,” said Biti.