HARARE - Zimbabwe must urgently invest in girls' rights, education, and safety to ensure gender equality becomes a lived reality for future generations, a UN Working Group said today.
Concluding an official visit to the country, the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, issued a statement commending Zimbabwe's constitutional commitment to gender equality and welcoming legislative and programmatic initiatives to advance the rights of women and girls.
"Despite the Government's efforts, persistent discrimination and entrenched patriarchal norms continue to deny girls their fundamental rights and limit their future opportunities," the Working Group said.
"As one interlocutor told the Working Group during our visit, in Zimbabwe, gender equality is not a choice, it is a constitutional obligation," the experts said. "Zimbabwe must actively confront and eradicate patriarchal attitudes that undervalue girls, creating a society which nurtures their potential as future leaders, innovators and changemakers."
The experts expressed particular concern about the prevalence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. In Zimbabwe, 1.4 million women were married before age 18, and 241,000 before the age of 15. Despite the Marriages Act (2022) setting 18 as the legal minimum age and criminalising child marriage, there have been no prosecutions.
Teenage pregnancy remains high at 23%, with nearly 43% of adolescents becoming sexually active before 18 years of age. When seeking sexual and reproductive services, girls face stigma, misinformation about parental consent, and limited access to youth-friendly care. Many are forced to leave school, undermining their long-term wellbeing and independence.
The Working Group urged the Government to upscale, resource, and implement targeted interventions for girls, especially those who are from low-income and rural backgrounds, pregnant, married, or otherwise marginalised, and combat discriminatory attitudes within families and communities that undervalue girls' education.
They welcomed progress in reducing maternal mortality and introducing national strategies on gender-based violence (GBV), reflected in expanded access to reproductive health services and legal aid in some areas. "However, child sexual abuse remains a serious concern, with girls left behind by migrant worker parents, unaccompanied minors, girls with disabilities, orphaned girls, and girls belonging to religious sects being particularly vulnerable," the experts said.
They also noted that despite the passage of relevant laws, online spaces increasingly restrict the freedom of expression of women and girls, with frequent targeting through cyberbullying, revenge pornography, victim-blaming, and gendered disinformation.
In some provinces, the Working Group was informed that GBV risks for women and girls are exacerbated by an increasing drug and substance abuse crisis, largely among young men. The experts called on the Government to increase anti-GBV sensitisation campaigns, expand training for law enforcement and the judiciary on victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches, and ensure timely prosecutions.
"The Government should adequately resource shelters and One-Stop Centres, which are essential services and a core State responsibility."
The experts stressed the need to ensure that gender equality is embraced as a societal value that benefits all. "Gender equality is not a zero-sum goal-men and boys also stand to benefit significantly from a more just and equal society," they said.
The Working Group called on the Government to promote public awareness campaigns and prioritise "human rights education for boys and girls, grounded in the values of equality, dignity, and autonomy."
"Gender equality must be more than a promise on paper-it must become a lived reality for every woman and girl in Zimbabwe," they said.
The Working Group will present its final report on the visit to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2026.
