Theresa Kachindamoto Terminated 3000 Child Marriages In Malawi

The senior chief of the district of Dedza, Malawi, Theresa Kachindamoto, is one of the 300 tribal leaders in the country. She is the youngest of 12 siblings and a mother of five. She never expected to be the senior chief of more than 900,000 people after 27 years of work as a secretary at a city college in Zomba, another district in Southern Malawi.

When Theresa took charge of her new role, she came to know about the rampant rate of child marriage in Dedza. She recounts, “When I came here I saw a lot of girls – about 12, 13, or 14 – having two children. This is why I got angry; they’re too young to have a baby.” This convinced her to take charge of the matter and do something about it. Theresa told everyone, “Whether you like it or not, I want these marriages to be terminated.”

When I came here I saw a lot of girls – about 12, 13, 14 – having two children – Theresa Kachindamoto

She mandated that all village headmen sign and enforce an agreement to abolish child marriage and annul existing marriages. Those who refused to follow the orders were dismissed from their positions. This led to the dismissal of seven village headmen, two of whom were women.

She has annulled over 3000 child marriages by developing a strongly connected team of “secret mothers and fathers” who are responsible for keeping an eye on other parents and ensuring no one pulls their girls out of school. Theresa has built coalitions and passed by-laws that prohibit early marriage and sexual initiation customs. She went door to door to convince parents not to get their daughters married at a tender age. She says, “If girls are educated, they can be and have whatever they want.”

Theresa Kachindamoto has faced multiple death threats and harassment. But she never gave up on her mission to stop child marriage and give girls the right to education.

Poverty and Child Marriage

According to UNICEF, nearly 46% of girls in Malawi are married before the age of 18, and 9% before the age of 15. Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world; it ranks 160th out of 182 nations. The national poverty rate in Malawi has increased from 50.7% in 2010 to 51.5% in 2016.

In 2015, Malawi’s parliament passed a law banning child marriage and increased the age of marriage to 18. However, under the customary law of the traditional authorities, Malawian children can be married with parental consent.

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Sexual initiation

Misomali, a member of the secret mother’s group, says in certain areas one can’t even think of intervening because of severe community backlash. These areas lie outside Kachindamoto’s jurisdiction. She tells us about the existence of sexually abusive traditions. Young girls are sent to camps for  “kusasa fumbi”  (cleansing ritual).

In these camps, girls are taught ‘how to please men’ by performing titillating dances and sex acts. Some “graduate” only by having sex with the teacher. Others return home untouched. But they’re preyed on by local “hyenas.” Parents hire men to take their girls’ virginity or prospective husbands to impregnate their daughters.

In these camps, the girls are taught ‘how to please men’ by performing titillating dances and sex acts. Some “graduate” only by having sex with the teacher.

Even though Kachindamoto has banned these kinds of cleansing rituals, some suggest they are still in existence.

The Trauma of Sexual Abuse

According to UNICEF one in five Malawian girls is a victim of sexual violence, and one in seven boys. The report shows how in most cases the abusers are people that children trust and are related to, such as uncles, stepfathers and fathers.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Nankali Maksud, UNICEF Malawi’s head of child protection, said, “These are the people who are supposed to be protecting young people, but they’re the ones who are the perpetrators, and that makes the response a lot harder.“

Some traditions promote sexual abuse within the family. If a girl’s aunt or older sister falls sick, the girl is sent to look after the household. In some cases, the girl is expected to have sex with her uncle or stepbrother. An organization working in the area, who asked to remain anonymous as Malawian authorities are not fond of such traditions being exposed, informed Al Jazeera.

What Mary Waya Says

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Mary Waya is a former child abuse victim who is now an international netball star. She coaches Malawi’s national team. According to Waya, “in the village, you find some of the chiefs agree to do this cleansing”. There is also the local belief that sick men can cure themselves by having sex with virgins.

As a victim of abuse herself, Waya teaches girls to accept and cherish their bodies. See it as more than just an object for other people’s pleasure. Waya meets victims of sexual abuse nationwide through her Mary Waya netball academy. She says, “I see girls being abused, being sent to be prostitutes, taken out of school as parents have no money,” or orphaned girls who have to provide for siblings. Waya hopes to see them come out of the trauma of abuse with the help of sports, as she herself did. Unlike most victims who drop out of school, Waya fought her childhood trauma by playing sports and through her studies.

Theresa Kachindamoto: Terminator of Child Marriages

In a nutshell, Theresa Kachindamoto changed the law and made child marriage below the age of 18 illegal. Theresa set up a strong network of secret mothers and fathers to avert any action by the parents to take their girls out of school. She paid the fees of young girls whose families couldn’t afford their education. She annulled more than 3000 marriages and went door to door to convince parents against child marriage. Now she aims to increase the minimum age of marriage from 18 to 21.

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