Malawian girls rescued from early marriages cry foul

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Sexual cleansing

About 30 girls who were rescued from early marriages by organizations in Mzimba district have threatened to go back to their husbands, saying they are now suffering since the organizations did not give them money to look after themselves.

The organizations which promised to give the children all necessities to support their education, are said to have abandoned the girls in suspense without giving them anything.

One of the girls who was forced to divorce her husband told this reporter that she was enjoying in marriage but now she does not even have a source of happiness.

Malawi girls on forced marriage  want to make a return. (Image credit: www.peacetimes.news)
Malawi girls on early marriage
want to make a return.
(Image credit: www.peacetimes.news)

“Our parents cannot support us because we irked them with the haste decisions we made to divorce our husbands. We are suffering now and organizations which influenced us are nowhere to be seen,” she said.

Another 16 year old girl, who lost the opportunity to go to South Africa where her husband is based, said she regrets the mistake she made to divorce him and go back to school because nothing is happening so far.

She said her parents already supported her marriage because they had nothing to offer for her to go further with education.

“So I thought these organizations were serious about educating me. I wanted to be educated and become a doctor that’s why I divorced my husband,” she said. These are only some of the girls who are regretting to have divorced their husbands because of promises that organizations made to support them in their education.

Commenting on the development, director of youth activists on education Benjamin Franklin described the status quo as worrisome.

He urged stakeholders to intervene urgently on the issue because these girls have the potential to go further with education but owing to the raised setbacks, their dreams might be ruined.