Sunday, March 7, 2021
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Editors Pick

Malawi commits to end child marriages by 2030

by Edyth Kambalame
14/11/2019
in Editors Pick, National News
4 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

Minister of Health Jappie Mhango has made a bold commitment that Malawi targets to end child marriages by 2030 in a bid to achieve sustainable population and development.

RelatedHeadlines

Police, DPP, ‘ignore’ court order

Journalists prioritised in Covid-19 jabs

Chakwera hosts first foreign President

Ending child marriages is one of the country’s 10 commitments the minister presented yesterday at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Jappie | The Nation Online
Mhango addresses the conference

He said: “Malawi will end child marriage by 2030.”

But the pledge could be a tall order for the Malawi Government to achieve within 10 years as, according to a 2018 United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report, one in every two girls in Malawi are married by the age of 18, one of the highest child marriage rates in southern Africa. Early pregnancies are also rife, with about one in three girls giving birth by their 18th birthday.

But Mhango said government is equipped to deal with the challenges to ensure Malawi’s sustainable development.

In an interview after presenting the commitments, the minister said: “You are aware that government announced new policies, one of which is that no girl gets married before the age of 18 and people are now actually going to jail for supporting child marriages. So, we want to ensure that by 2030, we have zero child marriage in our country.”

The minister also committed that government will provide 12 years of free education to every child by 2030, adding that the country will work with partners to meet the goals.

In 1994, Malawi introduced free primary education policy, ensuring children have eight years of free education. The policy led to increased primary school enrolment which experts have argued has compromised quality of education as government did not have supporting infrastructure and resources to ensure all primary school children transition to secondary school.

According to the Unicef report, only 38.4 percent of children transition from primary to secondary school (40.9 percent for boys and 35.8 percent for girls). Of these, only eight percent move on to tertiary education.

Reads the report in part: “Net enrolment rate for secondary school is very low, estimated at 16 percent in 2017 for both boys and girls.”

But Mhango said government is already making progress towards achieving education for all.

He said: “With the coming of the 250 secondary schools that government is going to build with support from the United States Government, we want to ensure that we migrate all Standard Eight pupils into secondary school. So, no one will be left behind.”

Malawi’s other commitments include reducing unmet need for family planning from the current 26 percent to 11 percent by 2030, lowering maternal mortality to 110 per 100 000 live births from the current 435 and increasing budgetary allocation to reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health information and services.

Reacting to the commitments in an interview at the summit, health rights activist Maziko Matemba commended government for the bold commitments, but called for a reflection on the commitments that Malawi made at the 1994 ICPD in Cairo and see which areas to prioritise.

He said: “We need to look back over the past 25 years and see where are the challenges, what are the areas we need to improve on in the new commitments.”

Speaking earlier on the commitments made by 51 governments at the summit, Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said: “I urge us to stand together to pledge to fulfil the ICPD commitments by 2030, and to build sustainable solutions for an inclusive and more equal world.”

Convened by UNFPA and the governments of Kenya and Denmark, the summit seeks to mobilise political will and financial commitments from leaders to urgently implement the ICPD25 Programme of Action in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Previous Post

Mist over public school ‘sale’

Next Post

Power interconnection project gets K16bn EU boost

Related Posts

Ndala: The case was closed
National News

Police, DPP, ‘ignore’ court order

March 6, 2021
Ndanga being interviewed by members of the media
National News

Journalists prioritised in Covid-19 jabs

March 6, 2021
To hold a closed-door meeting: Masisi
National News

Chakwera hosts first foreign President

March 6, 2021
Next Post
????????????????????????????????????

Power interconnection project gets K16bn EU boost

Opinions and Columns

My Diary

Musowa voice missing yet needed

March 6, 2021
Off the Shelf

Off the Shelf 5 years on

March 6, 2021
Back Bencher

Let the teachers have their Covid-19 risk allowances

March 6, 2021
Guest Spot

Ensuring quality education for Malawian girls

March 6, 2021

Trending Stories

  • Lowe: We are trying to find potential markets

    Ministry plans to export 1m tonnes surplus maize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • SKC ‘intervenes’ on youths’ demos

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Govt to finance 15 major projects

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Govt, TUM gloves off

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Let the teachers have their Covid-19 risk allowances

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2021 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.