Tag: age of consent

Zim’s New Age Of Consent Law Wont Address Unintended Pregnancies Crises

Michael Gwarisa

By Edinah Masiyiwa In response to the pressure from early marriages and the rise of adolescent pregnancy, a new law was passed in Zimbabwe that raised the age for sexual consent from 16 to 18 years. This is known as the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons Act 2024) and it criminalises having sex with persons under the age of 18 years. The law also criminalises deliberate infection of the child with HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease. This is a law that has been passed because Zimbabweans…

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Adolescents: the face of unsafe abortion: Time to act

Healthtimes

By Mildred T. Mushunje (PhD) Background Abortion is a public health and human rights issue which remains highly stigmatized regardless of efforts to liberalise it. Zimbabwe is one of the countries with high cases of unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls, which contributes to unsafe abortions (ZDHS, 2015) and these account for about 5% to maternal deaths (Ministry of Health, 2015). Contrary to populist belief, abortion is permitted under the colonial Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 which allows for abortion under the specific circumstances of rape, incest and to save…

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Access To Sexual Health Without Age Of Consent The Way To Go

Healthtimes

[dropcap]THERE[/dropcap] should be no specific age of consent on access to sexual reproductive health services while the statutory age for sexual activities should remain at 16. By Kudakwashe Pembere This was said by parliamentarians, High School pupils, peer educators, and health civil society organisations following reports that some were lobbying for age of consent on sex be reduced to 12 years. Health and Child Care Parliamentary Portfolfio Committee chair Dr Ruth Labode told HealthTimes that she was not for reducing the age of consensual sex to 12 from 16 years.…

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