A human rights analysis of the prevalence and socio-structural drivers of child marriage in Zimbabwe

This study explores and discusses the structural, cultural, and institutional drivers of child marriage in Zimbabwe. The following objectives guided the study: (1) to analyse geographic variations in prevalence; (2) to investigate the intersecting triad of poverty, education, and gender; and (3) to evaluate conflicts between statutory law and customary practices. It advances the argument that child marriage persists because customary and religious practices serve as functional, albeit highly exploitative, socio-material safety nets for households under systemic state failure. Missing in the literature is the perspective that child marriage in pluralistic systems must be analysed through a dynamic, internal lens of institutional contestation, rather than dismissing local communities as monolithic. Human Rights theory guided this study. Data were gathered using a systematic qualitative thematic synthesis of 11 core empirical studies representing survivors, elders, and leaders, supplemented by technical reports and national datasets. Evidence from the sources shows three critical aspects that are: first, geographic variations are heavily mediated by local normative frameworks; second, conservative Apostolic sects operate as parallel socio-legal jurisdictions using spiritualized coercion; and third, statutory protections are systematically bypassed through informal customary settlements. The study concludes that punitive criminalisation is insufficient when parallel customary and religious authorities retain de facto legitimacy. It is recommended that interventions shift toward providing material security while supporting internal, reformist voices within customary and religious institutions.