Zimbabwe’s court raises age of consent for sex to 18 years

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the legal age of consent for sex should be raised to 18 from 16, a judgment welcomed by many in a country where rights groups say teen pregnancies are forcing hundreds of girls out of school.

In a ruling handed down by the country’s highest court this week, the court struck down as unconstitutional provisions in the Criminal Law that set the age of consent for sex at 16.

Following the court’s decision, the minister of justice and parliament have 12 months to “enact a law that protects all children from sexual exploitation in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution,” read the ruling.

The case was brought by two women who were married as children.

Many welcomed the ruling in hopes that criminalizing sex with underage girls could help slow cases of teen pregnancies and child marriages. Authorities and human rights groups say cases have spiked following the outbreak of COVID-19 that resulted in prolonged school closures and deepening poverty.

“It is vital that we protect children, especially girls. This ruling will not stop child abuse, but it will mitigate, it offers a deterrent,” Tendai Biti, a lawyer who argued the case, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

“This ruling guarantees protection of girls under 18. In the past we had old men taking advantage of girls. Pedophiles were getting away with abuse,” said Talent Jumo, director of Katswe Sistahood, a group that campaigns for girls’ rights. She described the ruling as “a landmark.”

The age of consent for sex has for long been controversial in this southern African country. Campaigners argued that the 16-year age for consent was too young and it allowed for the exploitation of young girls.

However, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi argued in parliament late last year that “most children are mature, beyond their age nowadays and are already sexually active.” He claimed that raising the age of consent to 18 “means…