The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (Sadc-PF) has unveiled plans to establish Chief Kachindamoto Award and public lecture series to accelerate regional efforts to eradicate child marriage and protect children’s rights.
The idea follows the death of the revered Ngoni chief, born Theresa Maseko, who was globally acclaimed as the “terminator of child marriages’, having freed hundreds of girls from illicit wedlock.
On Monday, the Sadc-PF secretary general Boemo Sekgoma said: “Chief Kachindamoto showed us that change is possible, even against deep-rooted practices. The proposed award and lecture series will not only honour her memory, but also create an enduring platform to sustain momentum and accountability.
“Through courage and innovation, she annulled thousands of child marriages, enforced community bylaws and re-enrolled girls in school, becoming an icon of grassroots leadership in protecting children. Her work must not die.”
The Malawi Demographic and Health Survey shows about 38 percent of Malawian women marry before their 18th birthday, the legal marriageable age.
The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 30 percent of young women in Eastern and Southern Africa are married before 18.
The burden ranges from 53 percent in Mozambique to 33 percent in Zimbabwe and 38 percent in Malawi.
Currently, progress to end child marriage remain uneven and millions of girls remain at risk despite the rollout of the 2016 Sadc Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage.
Peer-reviewed research shows child marriage is linked to early and riskier childbirth, heightened exposure to intimate partner violence, low education attainment and intergenerational poverty.
Sekgoma said the southern African region cannot afford to slow down.
According to the leader of the 16-nation parliamentary bloc, the twin initiative to immortalise Chief Kachindamoto’s brave exploits will honour traditional leaders, journalists and media houses that demonstrate innovation, courage and measurable impact in fighting child marriage.
The award will include special citations for youth champions, survivor-led initiatives and parliamentary oversight, said the Sadc-PF chief.
She added that the Kachindamoto public lectures will become a part of the Sadc PF Plenary Assembly Programme.
“Each lecture will feature a keynote address; a panel with MPs, traditional leaders and media practitioners as well as the unveiling of the Child Marriage Dashboard, a data-driven snapshot of member States’ progress in implementing the Sadc Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage,” she stated.
Sekgoma said nominations for the annual awards will be based on documented impact, with an independent jury comprising representatives of partner organisations, academia and civil society selecting the ultimate winner for fairness and credibility.
“Each lecture will showcase regional data, holding member States accountable and encouraging peer learning,” According to the leader of the 15-nation parliamentary bloc, the twin initiative to immortalise Kachindamoto’sard’ to honour traditional leaders and journalists or media houses that demonstrate innovation, courage, and measurable impact in fighting child marriage.
By linking recognition (award), evidence (dashboard), and dialogue (lecture), the proposed initiative will cement the legacy of Chief Theresa Kachindamoto while inspiring traditional leaders, journalists, policymakers, and communities to intensify action against child marriage.
—Additional reporting by our Staff Writer James Chavula.
