Group Village Headman Hola (GVH) says more than seven child marriages have been terminated in 2017 alone in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kachere in Dedza.

Speaking in an interview during a monitoring visit by Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO), GVH Hola who spoke on behalf of the other chiefs, attributed the good cause to the coming of Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) social Accountability Project.

The project is being implemented in their area by a consortium of YONECO, Parents and Child Health Initiative (PACHI) and Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN) with Financial Support from UNICEF.

“With guidance from Radio Listener’s Clubs we established some by-laws where anybody found perpetrating early marriage is charged with a goat, a thing that has injected fear in most people in the area,” he said.

According to Chief Hola, this has translated to reduced cases of adolescent pregnancies and risks these young ones face when delivering at a young age as it used to happen before.

The teamed up chiefs include Group Village Headman Hola, Group Village Headman Chakachadza, Group Village Paulo, Group Village Tsankhulo and Magola.