Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Trinity Children’s Rights (TCR), a rights group, has thrown its weight behind Vice-President and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga’s stance barring girls under 16 years from accessing contraceptives.
Chiwenga last week rejected a proposal by legislators to allow young girls to access medical treatment, including contraceptives without parental consent.
He was responding to a report by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, which advocated for rights to sexual reproductive health services (SRHS) for underage girls.
Speaking to NewsDay on Tuesday, Trinity Children’s Rights spokesperson Tarisai Dongo said allowing underage girls to access SRHS services would encourage them to engage in early sex. She said:
At 16, some girls are likely to be engaging in sexual activities, but that does not mean we should give them the leeway to access contraceptives.
It’s like we are saying they may begin to indulge in sexual activities at such a young age.
Last week, the Health Portfolio Committee led by Ruth Labode (MDC Alliance) called for the removal of age restrictions for SRHS to curb early child pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and Aids.
But Chiwenga shot down the idea, saying girls under the age of 16 cannot be given contraceptives as they cannot legally consent to legal sexual activity.
