New York, The Hague, 8 March 2017

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) congratulates the Parliament of Malawi for unanimously adopting a constitutional amendment that raises the minimum age of marriage from 15 to 18 for girls and boys and calls on all its members to commit to protecting and promoting girls’ human rights by ending the practice of child, early and forced marriage (CEFM).

Hon. Mary Navicha, MP, PGA member in Malawi, writes: “The change in the law will allow girls in Malawi to stay in school, thereby increasing their chances of acquiring relevant skills and knowledge to pursue careers. Despite this achievement, it is imperative for all concerned stakeholders in the country to work together to change discriminatory attitudes.  There is a need for massive community sensitization on the new law, especially to parents and guardians living in rural areas. Ministries of Gender and Justice must also be supported to ensure the new constitutional amendment is harmonized with various pieces of discriminatory legislation against women and girls.”

Actions Parliamentarians can take to end CEFM:

• Advocate for the adoption, strengthening and implementation of laws and policies on child marriage, including establishing 18 as the minimum legal age of marriage for both boys and girls with no exceptions; strengthening birth and marriage registration systems; amend legal obstacles in legislation; and guarantee primacy of civil law over customary law.
• Budget for ending child marriage.
• Collaborate with civil society, religious and traditional leaders, and the media.
• Support and monitor implementation of the SDGs, particularly SDG 5, Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls, particularly its target 5.3 on ending child marriage.
• Learn about more actions you can take:
  - The Role of Parliamentarians in Ending Child Marriage
  - Mettre fin au marriage des enfants : le rôle des parlementaires

We hope you join us in taking action on International Women’s Day, and throughout the year, to ensure both men and women, boys and girls, have equal access to opportunities and the possibility to reach their full potential.