A chief in Traditional Authority Tsabango in Lilongwe has expressed concern over the levels of early marriages in the area saying girls are being forced to drop out of school.
Group Village Headman Tongole told Malawi24 that in her area, child marriages are rampant.
“A lot of girls between the age of 12 and 15 are forced to marry older men while others are forced out of school so that they can get married and many girls do not reach secondary level,” Group Village Head Tongole.
According to Tongole, some parents believe that it is not good to educate a girl and that when a girl is aged 13 she can get married despite the country’s laws putting marriage age at 18 years.
She added that, early marriages are affecting girl child education in her area.
The school around Tongole and Chimutu villages is Msambachikho Primary School and a teacher at the school concurred with the chief saying girls are dropping out of school to get married.
“Many families here around our school are poor and because of this they are forced to release their daughters into marriages so that they can be relieved from their responsibilities and other problems in their families,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Tongole has called on the government and civil society organizations to sensitise communities on the dangers of child marriages and early pregnancies.
