Community leadersfor uniform by-laws

Traditional leaders in Karonga have proposed the formation and reinforcement of uniform by-laws in the district to protect girls from early marriages.

Speaking during a panel discussion that civil society organisations organised on Tuesday on the sidelines of commemorations of International Day for the Girl Child in the district, Senior Chief Mwirang’ombe said there is need for coordination to protect girls.

He said: “As traditional leaders, we have various forms of community by-laws in place to check the vices.

“However, it is high time we formulated uniform by-laws in the district so that every traditional leader metes out the same punishment to gender-based violence perpetrators.”

Karonga district gender and development officer Ireen Mwenelupembe urged the council to reflect and correct issues that contribute to girls dropping out of school and opting for early marriages.

“As a district, there is need to go back on the drawing board  and reflect on real issues that may have played a big role to high school dropout rates.

“We have to look at infrastructure development such as school blocks, long distances that girls walk to school and access to bursaries,” she said.

The panel discussion was organised with financial support from USaid through Development Altenative Incorporated.

The International Day for the Girl Child is commemorated on October 11 and it was held under the theme ‘Invest in girls’ rights: Our leadership, our well-being’.