Phalombe district social welfare officer Isaac Lakudzala says they withdrew 244 children from early marriages between 2021 and 2022.
Speaking on Saturday during the commemoration of the Day of the African Child at Nambadzo, he said the district registered 596 child marriages but terminated 244.
during the commemoration
“We are still facing problems in curbing child marriages and child trafficking because when we withdraw children from early marriages, some go back as we do not have resources to support them to return to school,” he said.
Lakudzala said during the farming season, some children trek to Mozambique to work and return when the season is over, which affects their education.
He said they were working with different stakeholders to end the vice.
Phalombe District Council chairperson Bernard Komwa said children face many challenges such as child trafficking as the district borders Mozambique.
“As a council, we work with police officers in the borders to ensure that children do not cross the border into Mozambique,” he said.
Komwa encouraged parents and guardians to send their children to school so that they should become productive citizens.
