The Police Force in Rukwa Region has apprehended three parents for, allegedly, marrying off their school-going daughters. The venture, if proven beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law, could attract a stiff jail term.

It is an irrational venture, to say the very least. National leaders have often spoken bitterly, and sometimes angrily in a quest to ward off the unconstitutional practice of marrying off underage girls.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa added his voice on this offensive matter when addressing a rally at Ikwiriri recently. Mr Majaliwa said parents who will marry off their underage, schooling daughters will have committed a nefarious offence. They will be arrested and prosecuted. If their guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt, they will take a 30-year term each in a penitentiary.

While we do not wish to influence the course of justice it is imperative to mention at the outset that marrying off underage schoolgirls remains a headache for the nation.

The statutory age for marriage is 18 years, the age of maturity for both boys and girls. The practice, which is illegal and even ungodly, is an old tradition that can be traced back to numerous generations. It remains persistent today.

Unfortunately, it is one of the principal causes of the now numerous pregnancy complications in young mothers. Current statistics on underage pregnancies are hard to come by in Tanzania but the country has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world.

In fact, thousands of girls in Tanzania have their educational pursuits cut short every year as a result of pregnancy.

The practice also affects girls’ health, education, future employment and prevents victims from reaching their full potential in life. Every year over 8,000 girls drop out of school in Tanzania due to untimely pregnancies.

Nevertheless, most under-age marriages fail to work. Of particular concern to the state is the large number of pregnancy complications among young girls whose bodies are not yet ready to bear children.

These include the possibility of obstetric fistula. So, child marriages must be treated with the contempt they deserve. Women who have the fistula are often very young girls who are married very early, before 15 for example, who are too poor to attend health services and try to deliver at home. These young mothers are also often ignorant about motherhood.

An obstetric fistula can occur because the woman’s pelvis is too small; the baby’s head is too big, or the baby is badly positioned; the woman can be in labour for five days or more without medical help and other unfortunate reasons. In most cases the baby dies.

If the mother survives, she is left with tissue damage to her birth canal that renders her incontinent – either of her bladder or bowel functions. This is the beginning of a medically pathetic situation for the young mother. So, schoolgirls need books — not husbands.