Malawi: Community Breaks Marriage - Send the Couple to School BY MPHATSO NKUONERA, 8 JULY 2014 Rumphi — People of Group Village Head (GVH) Chilingoma of Rumphi Central Constituency terminated a child marriage and have since sent the couple back to school. Malawi News Agency (Mana) has learnt that Chilingoma Community Rights committee (CRC) pioneered the family bondage breaking on age grounds. Community Based Coordinator for Chilingoma CRC Anne Kangoma said, We banged heads as a community rights group, after we discovered this early marriage at hand in our community, The touching part of it all was the pregnancy which we realized later on. But we still had to separate them. According to Kangoma their meeting resolved to break the marriage despite the pregnancy. She however said they involved the village head and Police to enforce their resolution. We needed the local authorities to intervene too. Yes it was not easy but our concern was the right to education for both the girl and the boy who were 15 and 16 years respectively, disclosed Kangama. Commenting on the matter, GVH Chilingoma thanked the local rights group for their courageousness adding it was setting a precedent in the area. It was laying down bad precedent in our community. The duo is just too young to be in marriage. We had to support them with almost everything, which is the main reason I immediately accepted the termination, stressed the village head. The CRC Chairlady, Grace Nyirongo said the group found both the village head and parents of the youthful marriage cooperative. Both their parents and village head are very compassionate and thoughtful. When we summoned them on this the marriage to be terminated no opposition was noted, but rather encouraged us, said Nyirongo. She added the only problem remained was to divorce the bondage where police was then involved to coerce them. We proceeded to police for help to separate the two after noticing some resistance from the two. They broke, now we all smile both husband and wife are back in class and we have evidence that their studies are thriving, said Nyirongo. Programme Planer and Administrator at Democracy Consolidation Programme (DCP) Martin Kaluluma Phiri, expressed appreciation and hoped the CRC will improve the area. I am persuaded by the locals that are able to claim development and their rights. This is very cheering this is what DCP is proclaiming in all the 19 districts currently working, Kaluluma Phiri said. The CRCs are organized by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace with help from DCP and United Nations Development Programme. allafrica/stories/201407081369.html
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 10:50:59 +0000
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