Victory for Girls (and Boys): Malawi Outlaws Child Marriage


The African nation of Malawi, one of the world’s poorest
countries, has voted to outlaw
the practice of child marriage. Legislators have approved—and President
Peter Mutharika is expected to sign—a bill raising the minimum age of marriage
from 15 to 18. Currently, nearly 1 in 8 Malawi girls are wed by age 15, and
half of those ages 20-24 were married
by age 18.