CALL FOR ACTION AS CHILD MARRIAGE IN MALAWI INCREASES

Malawi ranks as the 12th highest in the world for early and forced marriages, with 42% of girls getting married before the age of 18. Speaking during the opening of the National Girls Education Symposium in Lilongwe, First Lady Monica Chakwera expressed disappointment with the rating, stressing the need for all stakeholders to collaborate in addressing the problem. In multiple countries across Africa, customary and religious laws have been found to uphold practices that discriminate against women and undermine gender equality.