Factors that Contributed to the Rise of Child Marriages during Covid-19 Lockdown in Zimbabwe: A Case of Kwekwe District

Abstract

The study investigated factors which contributed to the rise of child marriage during Covid-19 lockdown in the district of Kwekwe. This study utilised Maslow’s human needs theory to highlight how the need to satisfy basic survival needs shape the behaviour of individuals. From the literature review, factors like poverty, school closures, teenage pregnancy and child rights capacity-building programs failure to operate were among the drivers of child marriage. The researcher used a qualitative approach and case study research design. The researcher targeted the population in Kwekwe district, Zimbabwe. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to sample participants. The size of the sample was 30 participants for the questionnaire and 3 for the interview. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The findings indicated that, poverty increased child marriages because guardians were not working due to lockdown restrictions. Lockdown school closures affected girls as they lost hope as they could not afford digital lessons. Closure of schools forced them to get married. The findings indicated that teenage pregnancies escalated due to more free time which increased child marriage during the lockdown. Findings show that, child rights and capacity building programs that protected and prevented child marriages, were limited, which left a high number of girls vulnerable. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends the need for the empowerment of young girls especially those who are victims of child marriage through creation of projects that will assists them to go back to school and reduce rate of poverty and all forms of abuse. There should be a further study to develop more concrete findings on the extent of the child marriage problem and the societal and legal solutions to end them.