Youths in Kwekwe district have united to address challenges that affect their well-being and education in a bid to safeguard the lives of future generations.
Zibagwe Rural District Council (RDC) junior chairperson, Rutendo Chimhanda said poverty and peer pressure were driving young people to engage in early marriages and risky behaviours such as drug and substance abuse.
“We have the issue of child marriages which needs to be tackled,” Chimhanda said.
“When a child falls pregnant and tries to explain the situation, she is usually dismissed and told you are now a woman (because of the pregnancy). In the end she is forced to get married.”
He was speaking at a Kwekwe district youth indaba held last week at Redcliff Hotel,
Chimhanda said there was a need to set up friendly support report structures in both schools and communities that could be used by youths in airing their challenges.
“Some students drop out of school because of drug and substance abuse,” she said.
“As youths we feel the environment should be made flexible and friendly for learners to report to authorities.”
Chimhanda added: “The resolutions we made from this indaba will be incorporated into an action plan involving key stakeholders such as the education sector, police and traditional leaders among others.”
Zibagwe RDC chairperson Chamunogwa Zvishamira said the meeting was an eye opener as it exposed deep seated socio-economic challenges which require urgent intervention.
“In their discussions the youths blamed the proliferation of mining sites in the district as a big challenge,” Zvishamira said on the sidelines of the indaba.
“They said due to poverty in communities and peer pressure some students fall prey to artisanal miners and end up being impregnated.
“After the pregnancies they end up dropping out of school.”
He said the young people also tackled the issue of child labour that “we should revisit the Constitution so that we have a law to protect them from these malpractices within our communities.”
Zvishamira said the participation of young people in societal problems played a key role in finding solutions to challenges that not only affect them but communities as a whole.
