Family Sanctioned Child Kuchaya Mapoto (Cohabitation) in Zimbabwe: Lived Experiences of Young People As Child Cohabiters
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UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL Family sanctioned child kuchaya mapoto (cohabitation) in Zimbabwe: Lived experiences of young people as child cohabiters. Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work By THOMAS GUMBO Discipline of Social Work College of Humanities School of Applied Human Sciences Supervisor: Dr. Maud Mthembu 08 January 2020 DECLARATION PLAGIARISM I, Thomas Gumbo, do hereby state that: i. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research; ii. It has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university; iii. It does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons; iv. It does not contain other persons’ writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. v. It does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the dissertation and in the relevant reference section. ______________________________ THOMAS GUMBO Student number: 210549952 08 January 2020 As candidate supervisor, I hereby approve this thesis for submission Dr. MAUD MTHEMBU _________________________________ 08 January 2020 DEDICATION First and foremost, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to God Almighty, who is the Alpha and Omega of my life. I would also like to dedicate this dissertation to my late mother, Tecla Zhoya, who could not live to see her son graduate with his doctorate. I know she is looking down proudly. I also want to dedicate this dissertation to all those children in Zimbabwe who are in forced child cohabitation unions. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been completed without the immense support from various individuals, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to these exceptional individuals. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my dedicated supervisor Dr. Maud Mthembu for your constant support, encouragement, patience, guidance, and your immense commitment, which was second to none. You made me believe that this dissertation would eventually be completed even in times when I felt overly overwhelmed and many times felt like giving up. Still, you continually assured me that it could be done, and with that may God richly bless every aspect of your life. Special gratitude goes to Professor Camel Matthias for the guidance, encouragement, and support in the initial write up of this thesis. A special hearty thank you to my dear brother Archford Kubvoruno (Baba Nathaniel and Noah) for your unwavering continued support financially, emotionally, and socially and for taking the time to proofread this dissertation and not forgetting to also thank my special Amaiguru Mai Noah for your unwavering reassurance, support, and prayers. I would also like to thank my Father C. Gumbo for his constant support throughout my studies and for valuing education and seeing it as the key to success. I want to also thank my Mother M. Tasara, for the support and prayers throughout the Ph.D. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Nyarai Masamba for being my number one cheerleader and an important outlet for me to vent on my dissertation struggles. You always had the right words to encourage me whenever I felt like giving up. You are special in my life. I would also like to acknowledge my siblings for their encouragement and support, and I love you. I want to thank my Sekuru (Mitchell Chiviru), who always made sure he offered support and assistance when I need it. To the participants and the gatekeepers, I would like to thank you for making this study possible. I would also like to thank Ayanda Ntuli for always being there to help with the administrative side of this journey. iii To my friends and colleagues Patrick Nyamaruze, Dr. Shumba, T.K Mathathu, Hillary Muguto, Pumla Nomfele, Mai Zambuko, and others I could not mention with names thank you very much for your assistance and support throughout this study. I would also like to thank the dedicated individuals in the School of Social Work for your support and encouragement throughout this research. This dissertation would not have been completed without the help and support from the key informants, research assistants and, most importantly, the participants who participated in this study. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for your immense contribution to this study. iv Abstract Even though the phenomenon of child cohabitation is becoming widespread in Zimbabwe, very little is known about the drivers and the lived experiences of children cohabiting. Child cohabitation infringes on the fundamental rights of children that include the right to education, health, personal development, and undermines the best interests of the children involved in such a union. The study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of young people as child cohabiters in Zimbabwe. It is essential to highlight that all the young people who participated in this study started cohabiting when they were still children. The thesis strived to answer the following research questions (1) what are the lived experiences of young people as child cohabiters in Zimbabwe? (2) What are the drivers and consequences of kuchaya mapoto union amongst children in Zimbabwe? (3) What are the perceptions and views of parents concerning kuchaya mapoto unions involving children in Zimbabwe? (4) What are the intervention strategies to curb kuchaya mapoto unions in Zimbabwe? The study adopted a qualitative research design positioned within the interpretivist paradigm. Data was collected from a sample of 9 young people between the ages of 18-22 who explored their experiences as child cohabiters, 10 parents with children who are cohabiting, two social workers with experience working with children, one teacher, and one religious leader from the community of Dzivarasekwa. Data were analysed using both the thematic content analysis and discourse analysis. The findings indicated that young people do not cohabit willingly. Poverty, cultural beliefs, and practices when teenagers fall pregnant underline the decision for parents to enforce cohabitation as a precursor for future marriage. However, cohabitation undermines the health, and educational rights of young people, undermining their care and protection. The findings further demonstrated that the burden of managing parental responsibilities was overwhelming because of being young and inexperienced. Hence, it was difficult for the young male participants to provide for their families, which forced them to do strenuous odd jobs to be able to take responsibility for their families' upkeep. The young female participants, on the other hand, felt exploited and abused because they were forced to do all the household chores in their in-laws’ household. Feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, and regret contributed immensely to mental health issues for the young people. Apart from the challenges that the participants experienced as child cohabitors, some of the participants demonstrated resilience and a sense of agency not to remain as victims of their v circumstances. These young people are taking care of their children and providing for them without adequate support from their respective families. Deconstructing the notion that teenage mothers and fathers are not capable of stepping up and taking responsibility for their children. They demonstrated that they were able to rise above dominant discourses that not only marginalize and disempower them but sees them as irresponsible individuals who are not capable of taking care of their children. The recommendations include the need for parents to monitor and supervise their children and be involved extensively in their lives. Additionally, the school and the community play an essential role in the reduction of teenage pregnancy, which was a significant contributor to child cohabitation in this current study. Hence, the need to create effective after school programmes such as sports clubs, scripture union clubs, debate clubs, and writing clubs in communities is important because these can provide a safe environment for children to be nurtured and disciplined. Teenagers are having sex, hence the distribution and availability of condoms in schools in Zimbabwe is critical in reducing the high rate of teenage pregnancy. Prioritising support for school-drop out is important, and the Zimbabwe government should put in place tangible mechanisms that support school re-entry for teenage girls that drop out of school due to pregnancy. Lastly, aligning laws relevant to children with the Constitution of Zimbabwe is fundamental in the protection of children from the repercussions of child cohabitation. Key Words: Child cohabitation, teenage pregnancy, cultural beliefs, exploitation, resilience, parental responsibilities, social stigma, school drop-out, mental health. vi ACRONYMS ACRWC African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AU African Union CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women HIV Human Immune Virus STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections UNCRC United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund WHO World Health Organization ZESN Zimbabwe Electoral