“They sold me for $9 to get married when I was twelve years old”

It is estimated that one in five girls worldwide gets married before the age of 18. Even countries that have laws against child marriage sometimes do not enforce them. But in Malawi, some are seeing the first signs of change.

The third time we visited Tamara, we were told that she had gone early to the nearby fields to work the land.

Nine months pregnant, the 13-year-old girl had no peace.

Tamara (not her real name) had been sleeping on the floor of her aunt’s small hut for several months after her husband, a man in his twenties, fled.

The young man had heard that social services would come to rescue Tamara from her illegal marriage and left before they arrived, forcing her to walk to her aunt’s village.

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During the past years Many things have changed in Tamara’s life.

Born in a rural farming community in Neno District in southern Malawi, her family lived below the poverty line, like 65% of the population in this region.

The war in Ukraine, a direct trading partner of Malawi, put the situation under pressure: the supply of wheat and fertilizer stopped and prices rose.

When Tamara’s parents became ill and died shortly after each other, she was taken in by her grandmother.

But after a month, when Tamara returned from school one day, her grandmother had news.

“He told me I had to get married,” says Tamara. “I had already received money from a man.”

A man Tamara had never met He paid 15,000 Malawian kwachas, about $9, for it.

Tamara’s grandmother had already spent the money on corn for the family and the man was now growing impatient. He wanted the girl he paid for to drop out of school and live with him.

Child marriage has been illegal in Malawi since 2017, but remains culturally acceptable in parts of the country and continues to take place in rural communities such as Tamara, where approximately 85% of the population lives.

According to the NGO Girls Not Brides, more than 40% of girls marry before the age of 18.

“Life was difficult because I was an older man,” says Tamara. “He physically abused me by biting me every time I did something wrong.”

She lived with him for three months until someone alerted social services.

When arrangements were made for Tamara to return to school, she noticed something. I hadn’t had a period in about two months.

Tamara was 12 years old and I was expecting a baby.

Nearly 100 kilometers from Tamara’s aunt’s hut, a short distance from the Mozambique border, a small, bright green building blares Malawian pop music. It is the office of Radio Mzati, a local station.

A group of glamorous young women in their twenties gather in a radio studio, adjust their microphones and laugh as they prepare to take to the airwaves.

“Hello! Hello! Welcome to another edition of Ticheze Atsikana,” shouts host Chikondi Kuphata, “a show that serves as a platform for us beautiful girls to discuss issues that affect us.”

Kuphata and co-host Lucy Morris alternate between English and Chichewa; The name of the program means “let’s chat” in Chichewa.

It is a weekly program sponsored by AGE Africa, an NGO that supports vulnerable girls in rural areas to stay in school. and reaches more than four million listeners across Malawi.

The majority of the audience are women from rural communities like Tamara’s.

The topic of this day is child marriage.

“One of the main causes here is poverty,” says Morris. “Because most of the families where we come from are poor, our parents cannot take care of their children, so the best solution is to marry a girl.”

‘Girls marry men “Much older than those who can support them.”

The women encourage their listeners to send comments via WhatsApp before listening to a song called ‘Come Back’. His lyrics contain a clear message:

“Now you need school for everything!”

“You better go back to school!”

“Early marriage is not good!”

“If girls are educated and know their rights, they know they can get help to prevent child marriage. That’s part of our mission, to get girls talking, Share your stories and know that there is a way out,” says Morris.

Her village, Gulumba, near Mount Mulanje, has a women-only club where they can listen to Ticheze Atsikan.

Another follower of the program, although not invited to the listening group, is local chef Benson Kwelani. He says he encourages girls to stay in school and that he will not give his blessing to a marriage in which the girl is under 18.

Married as children

Two weeks ago, after Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney and Melinda French Gates visited Malawi, President Lazarus Chakwera announced increased funding for the national strategy to end child marriage.

The three influential philanthropists work in the country and support local organizations that fight against child marriage.

For example, Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance supports AGE Africa, while Clooney’s Waging Justice for Women initiative supports the Malawi Women Lawyers Association to inform girls about their legal rights.

French Gates funds projects that improve health care for women, including girls who give birth as teenagers.

Still it is unusual for social services to become involved in cases of child marriagesay NGOs, but attitudes among some local leaders appear to be changing.

Following a United Nations Population Fund campaign in 2020, more than 100 traditional leaders in Malawi (about a quarter of the total) have pledged to fight traditional marriage in their communities.

However, they may be powerless when families give their daughters to much older men.

Two chiefs in Neno district, where Tamara lives, tell us they cannot be sure that child marriages are not taking place secretly in their community.

“Some parents approach us, but we discourage and reject such marriages,” said John Juwa, head of a community of more than 2,000 people.

“Sometimes parents They insist that their daughters are ready for marriage, but we ask for their health passports to confirm their age.”

George Mphonda, head of more than a thousand people, says: “We are not saying that child marriage does not occur, but we are saying that when it does occur, it is kept secret.”

But whose responsibility is it to stop secret child marriages?

After a long pause, Juwa says: “It is our responsibility as bosses, with the support of the family.”

Tamara gave birth to a healthy baby. A small Malawian NGO based in the town of Blantyre, called People Serving Girls At Risk, paid a man to take her to the local health clinic by bicycle when she was in labor.

They also communicate regularly with her and her aunt.

Fortunately, Tamara’s delivery went smoothly. Complications due to pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death in young women and adolescents, according to the WHO, so people were concerned about her.

“Tamara has returned home and her son is doing well; her family is very happy with her arrival,” said Caleb Ng’ombo, executive director of People Serving Girls At Risk.

“She has the support of the community and her aunt, but the real work starts now. “It would be better for her to go back to school, but she also needs to support her son.”

Tamara tells the BBC that his great hope is that his son Prince can finish school.

Tamara’s aunt runs a fruit and vegetable stand that brings in less than $50 a month. It’s a few steps away from his cabin. Tamara helps when she can and sometimes sees her friends.

Several young girls come to the stall to pick up things for their families.

The last time we were there, at least two pregnant teenagers from the village, with their arms full of vegetables, greeted Tamara before returning home. (JO)