Girls exchanged for cattle, Malawi Human Rights Commission(MHRC) condemns the culture
Girls are being exchanged for cows in Malawi by parents and the Malawi Human Rights Commission has condemned the practice.
Speaking after visiting Mzimba District in Northern Malawi the Chairperson of MHRC Dorothy Nyasulu said forcing children to get married before the age of 18 years is a crime which is punishable in the Malawian Courts.
She said such cases should be reported to relevant authorities for proper action to be taken.
Some students in schools she visited confessed of having been forced by parents to get married .
In Mzimba District, they believe in educating a boy child and marrying off a girl child.
According to the tradition, a girl leaves the parents home after marriage but the boy stays with parents.
However chiefs from the district are now condemning the practice and are educating their subjects to abandon the practice because it leads to many girl children dropping out of school.
However, because old habits die hard, some families are still doing it.