Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare says it is currently consulting various stakeholders as part of the process of harmonising the child-related laws.

However, the line minister, Patricia Kaliati, could not disclose the timeframe for the process saying it is not a simple job.

“The process is not as simple as cooking since it needs thorough consultations,” she said.

There is tension among laws that protect children in the country like penal code, child justice, trafficking and marriage and divorce acts.

But President Lazurus Chakwera recently pledged to fast track harmonization of child related laws to ensure that abuses subjected to children are blown off.

Meanwhile, various quarters attribute the lack of stiffer punishments to perpetrators as one of factors fueling child abuse in the country.