We like to say children are the future. This phrase has lived for so long in political speeches and government documents. It is now part of our national vocabulary, repeated so often that it now sounds like a biblical proverb.
There is a good reason for that. We all agree that young people are Malawi’s greatest asset. Even Malawi 2063, our grand national blueprint, places much of its hope on this demographic dividend. Among others, the admirable ambition envisions an inclusively wealthy, self-reliant and industrialised upper-middle-income country powered largely by the energy, creativity and enterprise of its youth.
But prosperous countries are not built by roads and factories alone. They are also built by young people who grow up healthy, confident and secure. Here lies one of the contradictions in our national conversation. We celebrate the youth as tomorrow’s leaders while giving many of them little meaningful roles in shaping today’s decisions. We praise their potential, but too often leave them on the margins of civic and political life, only remembering them mostly when political campaigns need crowds, violence, slogans or applause.
Of course, successive governments and political actors have, at times, frustrated policies designed to empower young people by exploiting them for political violence, intimidation and partisan gain. That, however, is a discussion for another day.
Today, our attention turns to a more immediate concern—the well-being of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and adolescent boys and young men (ABYM).
For starters, adolescence is one of the most critical stages of human development. It is the period during which children, generally between the ages of 10 and 19, experience profound physical, emotional and social changes as they transition into adulthood. Like the broader youth population, adolescents represent enormous potential for Malawi.
But this period of transition can also expose them to significant risks, including sexual violence, abuse and exploitation, particularly in the absence of adequate parental guidance and community support. As they grow, many adolescents encounter harsh realities such as social exclusion, discrimination, gender inequality and harmful cultural practices that undermine their ability to realise their full potential and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Nevertheless, the government should be commended for developing the National Strategy for Adolescent Girls and Young Women, which seeks to protect and promote the rights of young women. Equally, many civil society organisations, development partners and community structures continue to work tirelessly to combat abuse and violence against children.
However, the key question is whether or not adolescents are sufficiently protected and supported to report sexual abuse and early marriages, or whether communities are encouraged to place the rights and well-being of children above the social standing of perpetrators.
As a country, how do we also measure progress in areas such as sexual and reproductive health, education, gender equality, HIV and Aids, employment, teenage pregnancy and child marriage?
These questions matter because the challenges facing adolescents remain profound.
Currently, Malawi continues to grapple with high rates of teenage pregnancy, driven by factors that include limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, poverty and unsafe relationships with peers and, in some cases, older partners and authority figures. Consequently, many adolescent girls remain vulnerable to early pregnancies, child marriages and both curable and incurable sexually transmitted infections. This reality underscores the need for open, accurate and age-appropriate conversations about sexuality between parents and their children.
For many families, these discussions remain uncomfortable. Yet silence often leaves young people vulnerable. When children feel safe discussing sensitive issues with parents and guardians, trust grows. They are more likely to seek guidance, report abuse and recognise behaviours that place them at risk.
If we truly believe that children are the future, then we must invest not only in their education and aspirations, but also in their safety, dignity and well-being.
The nation we hope to build in 2063 will depend, in no small measure, on whether all children we celebrate today grow up healthy, protected and secure in their bodies.
