The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has commended Zimbabwe for raising the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 years of age.
President Mnangagwa used his powers under the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act to gazette as the Statutory Instrument 2 of 2024 the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) (Criminal Laws (Protection of Children and Young Persons)) Regulations, 2024.
Under the regulations, even asking a person under 18 to take part in sexual or indecent acts is an offence.
The penalties are set at level 12 fines or a maximum of 10 years in jail.
In a recent statement, UNICEF Zimbabwe’s head of communication Yves Willemot, said the legislation raising the age of consent will cut the prevalence of cases of child sexual abuse. Reads the statement:
UNICEF notes the passage of the legislation raising the age of consent for sexual relations to 18 years, which will contribute to a reduction of sexual abuse of children and adolescents, which continues to be a concern in Zimbabwe.
Available data suggest that in Zimbabwe, over a third of girls experience sexual violence before the age of 18 years. For most of these girls, the perpetrators are intimate partners.
Sexual violence on children has a significant impact on girls and boys who experience it. The effect is both physical as well as psychological.
As Zimbabwe implements the new legislation, UNICEF calls on the Government also to continue to invest in the prevention of sexual abuse of children and support to victims.
Based on the lessons from existing initiatives by the Government and partners, prevention and support programmes must be continued and scaled up.
Everybody in Zimbabwe must understand that sexual abuse of children is not acceptable, and they need to act accordingly and speak up.
Importantly, UNICEF also calls on all stakeholders to continue guaranteeing access to friendly services to promote health, well-being, and protection for adolescents and young people.
Children deserve to grow up in a safe environment. It is our shared responsibility to break the silence, to help prevent sexual abuse of children, and by extension all forms of violence against children, and to ensure children that are victims of violence, abuse and exploitation get the attention, assistance and support they need.
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