Girl (17) in forced Kutekwa (marriage) – Weekend Observer

This story is about the forced marriage of a 17 year old girl, Phephisile Dlamini. The teenager was married allegedly against her consent. This happened when she went to visit her 28 year old boyfriend who detained her at his home, telling her that she was now his wife. The girl managed to run away back to her parents’ home. To her shock, her father wanted nothing to do with her and he called the “husband’sÀ family to come and fetch her against her will. She was forcibly bundled into a car to the husband’s home where she was locked up for five days until she managed to run away. Swazi law clearly stipulates 18 years to be the legal age for marriage.

Analysis

The article highlights gender rights and multiple sources are used to address the specific rights which have been violated. This is a gender aware article which condemns abuse of women. It quotes different people such as gender activists working in the field of gender based violence to add more

Headline

The headline is relevant to the story even though it uses the Swazi term for traditional marriage, Kutekwa. The lead paragraph ties several aspects of this case, namely, the forced marriage, the violence meted to the teenager, the alleged kidnapping as well as her father’s denial.

Sources

The story cites various sources ranging from the “victimÀ, her father, the person who “marriedÀ her, an organisation which deals with people abused (Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse) and the Constitution. Two female and two male sources air their views. Both primary and secondary sources are used.

First the girl is given ample space to tell her story, then her father and thereafter the “husbandÀ. What is evident is that the two men agree on certain facts which are in total contradiction with what the girl is saying. The writer does not question them further so as to gain more insight into what happened.

The fact that the story is told from three different viewpoints makes the story balanced although there are inconsistencies in the three versions.

The girl’s voice is important in that she is able to tell her story and express her feelings. This gives her agency and she ceases to be just a victim of gender-based violence, but a survivor who is able to deal with the situation she finds herself in. She is not presented as a woman who has lost all hope, but as a fighter.

The girl’s father Dlamini is presented as a man who views his daughter as a trouble maker and as such deserves what she has gotten. This brings to the fore the role of fathers in families. Are they there to safeguard their children’s interests as any parent would, or they have a different view of their daughters? For example, Dlamini expresses a lot of anger towards his daughter whom he perceives as a liar. He does not even believe that she has been forcibly married by Mlungisi Mncina.

Mlungisi like Dlamini implies that Phephisile is a liar by saying that he forced her into the marriage. He says she is his “lawfully wedded wifeÀ. Mlungisi seems unaware of the fact that the legal age of consent in Swaziland is 18 years, something which the writer diligently raises.

Language

The language is neutral. Sources speak for themselves and are directly quoted. The quotes are material to the case. The father paints a picture, allowing readers insight of his values and aiding the reader to understand the challenges this teenager faces. The father uses demeaning language when he refers to his daughter. In one instance, he refers to her as a “thingÀ. The teenager talks of her plight and while there are contradictions the reporter skilfully and in a balanced manner allows the story to surface by weaving multiple narratives. The story unfolds chronologically allowing readers to piece the events.

Visual images

There is a picture of the teenager holding a toddler. There is no reference to the child in the story thereby leaving readers wondering is this 17 year old already has a baby. This weakens an otherwise well-written gender-based violence story.

Story angle and perspective

The story articulates a rights-based discourse and highlights violations specific to this case. It addresses anomalies which exist when custom and traditional rites are incongruent with legislative and 20^th Century Human Rights discourse, Rights (individual and collective) vs. Tradition becomes a talking point for readers. The story structure can be described as a focus piece feature in which through the girl’s experience broader rights and issues are addressed. The article tackles gender-based violence and contextualizes Swaziland’s legal framework.

Placement

The story has been placed on page 10 of the Weekend Observer. An entire page is dedicated to this story and this suggests that it is a significant story and treated accordingly.

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