When Theresa Kachindamoto was called back to her home of Monkey Bay in Malawi to become senior chief, she was shocked to learn that girls were getting married as young as 12. According to a 2012 United Nations survey, more than half of Malawi’s girls were married before the age of 18. Last year, Malawi’s Parliament passed a law prohibiting marriage before 18, however this can be changed with parental consent. Kachindamoto also learned of sexually abusive practices occurring among her people to prepare girls for marriage. Kachindamoto has been trying to combat these problems both through legislation and through social change.

Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/03/malawi-fearsome-chief-terminator-child-marriages-160316081809603.html