Breaking Chains: A Chief’s Stand Against Child Marriage.
Child marriage devastates young girls, but in Malawi, Chief Theresa Kachindamoto AKA Chief “Terminator” has become a fierce protector of their futures. By opposing this cruel practice, she fights for girls’ right to education and a chance to escape poverty, offering hope and a lifeline to those trapped in a cycle of early marriage.
By: Donesha “Dana” Simon
Child Marriage in Malawi: A Deepening Crisis:
A 2012 UN survey revealed that over half of Malawi’s girls were married before 18, with the country ranking 8th in global child marriage rates. Despite a 2015 law banning marriage before 18, child marriage remains prevalent, especially in rural areas where poverty drives parents to marry off daughters. Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, known as the “Chief Terminator,” has become a leading force in combating this issue, tirelessly working to protect girls and challenge the harmful traditions that perpetuate early marriages in her community.
Source: Unicef
From Innocence to Exploitation:
Despite warnings about the long-term harms of early marriage and childbirth, many parents in rural Malawi continue to marry off their daughters due to financial pressures. Even when chiefs and police intervene, the community backlash is often too strong. Some girls are sent to harmful initiation camps called,“kusasa fumbi,” where they endure abusive rituals designed to prepare them for marriage. Some girls are coerced into having sex with the instructor to “graduate,” while others are targeted by local men, known as “hyenas,” hired to take their virginity or impregnate them. These practices lead to severe health complications, such as cesarean births and exposure to HIV,which can result in lifelong trauma. Chief Kachindamoto has outlawed these rituals, but the struggle continues.
Source: Al Jazeera
Breaking the Chains:
In addition to her efforts to combat child marriage, Chief Kachindamoto has successfully outlawed “marriage initiation camps,” which subjected girls as young as 10 to abusive rituals aimed at preparing them for marriage. These camps involved teaching girls how to “please a man” and often led to sexual exploitation, with men preying on the girls after their “graduation.” Kachindamoto banned this practice and implemented strict penalties, including firing pastors and sub-chiefs who supported it. Her actions have helped rescue nearly 3,000 girls, who are then returned to school and closely monitored to prevent further abuse.
Source: Orato World Media
What Made Her Change Her Mind:
Theresa Kachindamoto, known as the “Terminator” of child marriages, never imagined becoming the senior chief of Dedza, Malawi, where she now leads over 900,000 people. Thirteen years ago, she was a secretary in Zomba. But when she returned to begin her duties, she was horrified to see girls as young as 12 with children of their own. “They’re too young to have a baby,” she said, deeply angered, and vowed to take action. She declared that any village headman permitting child marriages would be dismissed.
Source: Lifegate
Breaking Child Marriages and Rewriting the Future:
Realizing she couldn’t change parents’ traditional mindset, Chief Kachindamoto took matters into her own hands by altering the law. She rallied 50 sub-chiefs to annul existing unions, and when child marriages persisted, she fired four chiefs who failed to comply. Undeterred by death threats, Chief Kachindamoto has annulled 3,500 child marriages, sending the girls back to school, often funding their education herself. Through a network of “secret mothers and fathers,” she ensured the girls remained in school, offering them a chance at a brighter future despite the deep-rooted obstacles they faced. Her most recent effort is now asking parliament to increase the minimum age of marriage from 18 to 21 in an effort to break a cycle of rural poverty.
Source: UN Women Australia
“When girls are educated, everything is possible.”
– Theresa Kachindamoto, a Malawian paramount chief (or Inkosi) of the Dedza District in the central region of Malawi.
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