By Staff Reporter
Womandla Foundation says theres a worrying increase in drug abuse amongst young girls.
Speaking at the recently held belated commemorations if the Day of the African Child in Zvishavane, Womandla Foundation Adolescent girls corrdinator Moleen Manhede said the day is of great importance particularly to the girl child as she is affected by a lot of harmful practices.
“Girls are affected by a lot of things mentally and they end up taking drugs as a coping mechanism, unlike before when it was boys only known for abusing drugs hence there’s need to protect the girl child at all costs,” Manhede said.
She added that the issue of forced child marriages is becoming a cancer in society , emphasizing on the need fo education and awareness.
“Most harmful practices commited against the girl child are because of lack of knowledge hence as organisations we need to intensify our education and awareness campaigns,” she said.
Zvishavane district schools inspector Eusabia Zvinowanda said every child has a right to education hence they need to be provided with a conducive learning environment.
“We want to nurture their talents and teach them Ubuntu so that they can not only work to earn a living but also improve their surroundings,” she said.
The day of the African child is commemorated every year on the 16th of June and this year’s theme was Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children.
Various stakeholders from Zvishavane convened to commemorate the day and advocate for children’s rights to education.
Womandla Foundation awarded prizes to outstanding performers as a way of promoting the Future Feminist Leadership initiative.