MALAWI-CHILD MARRIAGE Malawi bans child marriage, but challenges in changing traditions remain

Record ID: 174438

  • Title: MALAWI-CHILD MARRIAGE Malawi bans child marriage, but challenges in changing traditions remain
  • Date: 25th February 2015
  • Summary: BLANTYRE, MALAWI (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM VARIOUS OF TEACHER INSTRUCTING STUDENTS MORE OF STUDENTS / "JANE" (NOT HER REAL NAME) READING A BOOK IN CLASS EXTERIOR OF CLASSROOMS/ STUDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) CHRISTINA ASIMA, CHILD MARRIAGE SURVIVOR SAYING; "My mother re-married and I was left alone at home with my siblings. Later my friends convinced me to start going out with men so I could have extra money. I later got pregnant and dropped out of school. And then I went to stay with that man." CHILDREN OUTSIDE CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) CHRISTINA ASIMA, CHILD MARRIAGE SURVIVOR SAYING; "I am happy now. I was rescued from marriage and enrolled back to school. I also have many friends whom I share my experiences and they also say they are learning a lot from my experience. I have recovered and I get support from the organisation that rescued me. Even my health has improved a lot." VARIOUS OF HEAD TEACHER CLEPHANS NKHATA IN HIS OFFICE MARKING PAPERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLEPHANS NKHATA, HEAD TEACHER SAYING: "When she started school, at first she was very shy. But later on she started coping with the other girls. Now she is doing very fine in class and she is hopeful that she will pass her junior certificate examination." VARIOUS OF FAITH PHIRI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GIRLS EMPOWERMENT NETWORK READING A NEWSPAPER (SOUNDBITE) (English) FAITH PHIRI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GIRLS EMPOWERMENT NETWORKSAYING: "It is very much possible that not everyone will be happy with this because, I mean, some of the parents or the communities they still have these attitudes that a girl is for marriage. So, to change is a slow process obviously. Change will happen but it is a slow process, not everyone is happy with the change. But change is inevitable it has to happen anyway." VARIOUS OF GIRLS IN SCHOOL
  • Embargoed: 12th March 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Malawi
  • Country: Malawi
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8D0YGIV772V6CPKN5WKMFO1UJ
  • Story Text: Malawi's parliament recently voted to outlaw child marriage, raising the minimum age to 18 in a country where half of girls end up as child brides.
    Malawi has one of the world's highest rates of child marriage. Girls are allowed to marry at 16, or 15 with parental consent. But many marry much younger. Half of girls wed before their 18th birthday and nearly one in eight is married by 15.
    Early marriage not only deprives girls of education and opportunities, but also increases the risk of death or serious childbirth injuries if they have babies before their bodies are ready. Child brides are also at greater risk of domestic and sexual violence.
    "Jane" was a victim of child marriage. She got pregnant at 13 and is now, at the age of 16, the mother of a two-year-old boy. "Jane" was rescued from her husband by a local NGO called the Girls Empowerment Network (GENET) and has returned to school.
    "My mother re-married and I was left alone at home with my siblings. Later my friends convinced me to start going out with men so I could have extra money. I later got pregnant and dropped out of school. And then I went to stay with that man," said Jane.
    "I am happy now. I was rescued from marriage and enrolled back to school. I also have many friends whom I share my experiences and they also say they are learning a lot from my experience. I have recovered and I get support from the organisation that rescued me. Even my health has improved a lot," she added.
    Her teachers say she is visibly traumatised but is adjusting well.
    "When she started school, at first she was very shy. But later on she started coping with the other girls. Now she is doing very fine in class and she is hopeful that she will pass her junior certificate examination," said Clephans Nkhata, the head teacher at Jane's school.
    Women rights campaigners have hailed the new law as "a great day for Malawian girls" and said it would help boost development in one of the world's poorest countries.
    But they warn Malawi will not end child marriage without concerted efforts to tackle poverty and end harmful traditional practices like early sexual initiations.
    "It is very much possible that not everyone will be happy with this because, I mean, some of the parents or the communities they still have these attitudes that a girl is for marriage. So, to change is a slow process obviously. Change will happen but it is a slow process, not everyone is happy with the change. But change is inevitable it has to happen anyway," said Faith Phiri, executive director at GENET.
    Child marriage is deeply entrenched in Malawi's society partly because of a belief that a girl should marry as early as possible to maximize her fertility.
    In parts of Malawi, when a girl reaches puberty she may receive a night-time visit from an older man - known as "a hyena" - who has sex with girls to prepare them for marriage.
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