Malawi Female Chief breaks 850 child Marriages

Kaajal Gunputh Kaajal Gunputh Apr 30, 2019 1081 0

Malawi Female Chief breaks 850 child Marriages
Theresa Kachindamoto

Theresa Kachindamoto breaks 850 Child Marriages and send them back to school

According to a Unicef survey, Malawi has the 12th highest prevalence of child marriage in the world. 42% of the girls are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 10 girl is married before her 15th birthday.

Regional variations were seen where girls in the central region marry at a slightly older age when compared to the Northern and Southern regions. A study from 2017 showed that ending child marriage in Malawi could generate USD 167 million in earnings and productivity.

To deal with the alarming situation, a brave woman, Theresa Kachindamoto, the senior chief in Dedza District of central Malawi who wields power over almost 900,000 people is not afraid to use her authority to help the women and girls in her district.

Over the past four years, she has negated more than 850 child marriages and sent hundreds of young woman back to school to pursue their education.  She also initiated the process to abolish cleansing rituals that require girls as young as seven years old to attend sexual initiation camps where they go to learn how to have sex and please their partners. Without this process, the girls are considered as illegible for marriage.

Theresa Kachindamoto|Child marriage|malawi

Kachindamoto’s attitude and effective measures have made her a vital supporter in the fight of women’s and children’s right in Malawi. She was born in Dedza district and was working as a secretary for over 25 years in another district until she was called to come home and serve as a chief. On returning she was dismayed by the sight of 12 years old girls with babies and young husband. She then decided to take action and was quick to set up measures and laws.

Malawi raised the legal age to marry to 18, yet parental consent was a loop-hole which was allowing younger girls to get married. Kachindamoto ordered 50 sub chiefs in her district to sign an agreement to end child marriage in Dedza district. She found out few male chiefs were still approving child marriages and she suspended them until they annulled the unions. 330 such cases were reported only in June 2015. The brave chief sent the children back to school by bearing their school fees from her own money. She also suggested in the parliament that the minimum age of marriage should be raised to 21.

Girls are often married early as they are seen as a family burden. One in five girls in Malawi are victims of sexual abuse. Kachindamoto is also taking a stand against the cleansing camps where girls are routinely sent before marriage. Sexual initiation practices are really disturbing and moreover the girls are not taught or informed about the precautionary measures to avoid any sexually transmitted disease which makes it more inacceptable specially in a country where 1 in 10 people has HIV. She also threatened to dismiss any chiefs who continue to allow or ignore these controversial practices.

Kachindamoto has faced plenty of oppositions to her efforts and measures by parents and community members, she even received death threats. However she remains determined to continue with her battle and determined to change laws for the betterment of Malawi females and their futures. She focuses on education and believes if they are educated, they can be and have anything they want.

 

What can you do to help ending child marriages?

  1. Educate girls
    Encourage girls and children in your neighborhood to pursue their education Motivate them to go school and teach them the importance of education.
     
  2. Educate parents
    Educate parents about the cons of child marriage. Parents believe that child marriage is the solution to prevent premarital pregnancies, sexual abuse and protecting their daughters economically. They are less aware about the negative impact on the girls.
     
  3. Empower girls
    Empowering girls is one of the most efficient way to stop child marriage. It is the basic human right and legal right for a girl to say no she doesn’t want to marry. But in many households, boys are giving priority and preference and as a result girls lose their self confidence and have low self esteem. Empowering the girls and making them aware of their basic rights can help.
     
  4. Get informed and take action
    Now that you know about child marriage, if you suspect a case or you know somebody trapped in a child marriage, take actions today. Report it to the concerned authorities, inform the police and support them to help the girl.
     
  5. Talk about it
    Child Marriage is still a taboo subject in many countries. People are ashamed to openly talk about it or disclose any case. Discuss it among peers, friends or colleagues. Educate them about the topic the more people know about it the more likely they are to report a case. Nowadays, many people are present on social media; you can simply share this article on your social media accounts and help spread the word.

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