As Malawi joins the rest of the world in commemorating the Day of the African Child, government has called on stakeholders to join hands in the fight against child marriages in the country.
This year’s commemorations are taking place today at Chikala Primary School in Machinga under the theme ‘Eliminating Harmful Social and Cultural Practices Affecting Children: Our Collective Responsibility.’
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare principal secretary Dr Mary Shawa said girls continue to face risks.
“The issue of child marriages is of a great concern to the government and stakeholders because it continues to put girls in the country at risk of early unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening consequences. Child marriage is a violation of human rights whether it happens to a girl or a boy.
“They can also result in bonded labour and enslavement, commercial sexual exploitation and violence against the victims. Child marriages also lead to separation from family and friends and lack of freedom to interact with peers and participate in community activities,” said Shawa.
She said early marriages can lead to decreased opportunities of education, premature pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and obstetric fistula.
According to United Nations reports, maternal deaths are responsible for 50 000 deaths of girls aged 15 and 19 years worldwide annually. In addition, girls between 10 and 14 years are five times more likely than women aged 20 to 24 to die in pregnancy and childbirth.
In Malawi as of 2010, half of the women aged 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18. While child marriage is common across Malawi, prevalence is highest in the Central Region by 57 percent, followed by the Northern Region with 50 percent and 44 percent in the Southern Region.
