HRDs Alert 13 January 2015 CONCOURT HEARS TEENAGERS’ GROUND-BREAKING CONCOURT CHALLENGE OVER CHILD MARRIAGES ZIMBABWE’S Constitutional Court will on Wednesday 14 January 2015 hear a constitutional application filed by two teenagers seeking an order declaring as unconstitutional some of the country’s marriage laws which they claim are discriminatory on the legal age of marriage for children. In an application filed in the Constitutional Court last year, the two teenagers Loveness Mudzuru and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi want the Constitutional Court to declare as unconstitutional some of the provisions of the Marriage Act and the Customary Marriages Act as they are now deemed illegal and in violation of the country’s new Constitution. The ground-breaking legal challenge was filed last year by Tendai Biti of Tendai Biti Law, a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights as part of a broad campaign against child marriages which should compel the government to align laws with the country’s new governance charter. In the application, Loveness and Ruvimbo argue that new provisions contained in the Constitution have made 18 the marriageable age for both girls and boys – and that existing laws such as the Marriage Act and the Customary Marriages Act are now unconstitutional. The teenagers want the apex court to declare that no girl or boy may enter into a marriage including an unregistered customary law union before attaining the age of 18 years. The teenagers have cited Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister and the Attorney-General as respondents. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights 6th Floor, Beverley Court 100 Nelson Mandela Avenue Harare, Zimbabwe Phone+263 4 764085/705370/708118 Email: [email protected] zlhr.org.zw FOLLOW US:@ZLHRLAWYERS ON TWITTER | ZIMBABWE LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON FACEBOOK
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 21:54:15 +0000
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