MARCH OR DIE?: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE VIOLATION OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN AFRICAN INITIATED CHURCHES, ZIMBABWE

Abstract

In general, the numerical strength of African Instituted Churches (AICs) makes them a force to reckon within the African context. AICs have influenced a number of people and challenged historical churches in Zimbabwe. However, the operations of some AICs have come under the spotlight for violating the rights of children especially concerning education, preventable and treatable diseases and conditions. The study examines the beliefs and practices of Johane Marange Apostolic Church (JMAC) with regards to issues of health and healing, education, child marriages and human rights in Zimbabwe. The paper argues that the JMAC stultify the girl-child rights on education and also exposes children to child killer diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and AIDS because they shun conventional medical treatment on the basis of their faith. The study established that there are some clashes between the government and JMAC members for evading high impact child survival interventions such as immunisation programmes to curb communicable and noncommunicable diseases among children. This scenario negatively impacts on children who are made to either ‘march or die’. The research utilised the phenomenological approach, observation and interviews to provide perceptual analysis as well as government and media reports for factual interrogation of data gathered.