Parents disown girls withdrawn from marriage in Mzimba
Activista, a group of youth activists under ActionAid in Traditional Authority Khonsolo in Mzimba, says some parents in the area have disowned their children for going against their will to withdraw from marriages and return to school.
In an interview on Tuesday, the group’s programme coordinator Emmanuel Kadango said this is affecting the campaign against early marriages in the area.
He said about three girls have complained of not being offered support once they withdrew from marriages and went back to school.
He said: “We are on a campaign to mobilise our fellow youths, especially those girls who rushed into marriages, to go back to school.
“However, we have met resistance by some parents who disown their daughters after being withdrawn from marriages. We call upon chiefs to convince the parents to take back their daughters and send them to school.”
Kadango said his group has emphasised to some parents the importance of supporting their girl children to go to school so that they should be productive future leaders.
One of the girls withdrawn from marriage, Magdalene Mbale, said she is happy to be back in school although she is experiencing challenges regarding her daily support.
Mbale, who has a child, said she is determined to achieve her goals because she has learnt the importance of school.
Inkosi Khonsolo commended Activista for their effort to encourage girl children to go back to school.
The chief promised to support the group to ensure that their campaign is bringing results. n
