Child Marriages Surge in Malawi After Virus Lockdown Closes Schools

A district in northern Malawi registered as many as 269 child marriages since schools closed in March because of a coronavirus lockdown, prompting the government to urge traditional chiefs to intervene.

Child marriage is a persistent problem in Malawi, even though the legal age to marry was raised to 18 three years ago, according to Unicef. About 46% of girls are married before the age of 18, and 9% before the age of 15, the organization said in a 2018 report. Traditional leaders typically register the unions.