Minister of Gender, Disability and Child Welfare Development, Patricia Kaliati, has slammed at men who like walking naked along beaches of Lake Malawi but are coy to undress themselves in the presence of their spouses in their bedrooms. Kaliati said marriage is supposed to be passionate and romantic. She was speaking at Ulongwe last Saturday […]
Galaxy FM Senior Sports Presenter Dickson Chivwati Gondwe (DCG) on Saturday, May 30, 2015 exchanged marriage vows with his sweetheart Chifundo Kudzula, also a journalist at Sheaffer Conference Hall in Lilongwe before celebrating the wedding at SOS Children’s Village where friends, relatives, journalists and other well wishers joined the celebrations. Nyasa Times’ Alex Mwazalumo captured some of the exciting […]
In Africa, an individual’s existence is not nearly as important as that of the community to which that individual belongs. As they say, it is a matter of “I am because we are”. The community is always paramount and the individual is regarded as being of secondary importance. Whereas in Europe, and elsewhere, marriage is […]
The United State based Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights is urging Malawi on government to “immediately” amend provisions of the new Marriage law that stigmatize and violate the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. During President Peter Mutharika’s visit to Washington D.C. this week, the rights body also called on United […]
Malawi outspoken minister for gender, children, disability and social welfare, Patricia Kaliati has expressed excitement with news that President Peter Mutharika has approved a law which lifts the age for marriage from 16 to 18. The Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill was ratified by parliament on February 12 and President Mutharika has since has […]
Parliamentary Speaker Richard Msowoya has disclosed that President Peter Mutharika has signed into law a ban on child marriages, two months after lawmakers passed a bill raising the marrying age to 18. The Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations bill replaced a widely criticized old law which allowed 15-year-old girls to marry with parental consent The […]
A hearing impaired couple on Saturday tied knots amid cheers from both families during a colorful wedding ceremony at Lilongwe’s Mtima Moyera Catholic Parish. Middle aged Misozi Mwambo and his wife Lydia attracted applause from both family and church members as they smooched to signify their unity. Neither the bride nor the bridegroom could hear […]
Civil Society Organizations, government departments and local leaders in Ntcheu have ganged up to end child and forced marriages which is rampant in the district. Speaking on Tuesday, 17th March, 2015, during the launch of the Anti Child marriage campaign at Group Austin, Traditional Authority Makwangwala, Ntcheu district Commissioner Harry Phiri said the campaign will […]
About 15 years ago, I was doing research on inheritance laws in Malawi and their impact on women. Part of my research methodology was to engage in focus group discussions with women in village settings. In order to do this in any village in Malawi, one has to seek permission from the village chief. And […]
Marriage is more than sex just as singing is more than making noise but you can’t sing if you can’t make noise and you can’t be married if you can’t have sex. Malawi religious leaders have backed the legal provision of the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill which provides grounds for annulling a marriage, […]
Human rights activist Gift Trapence of the Centre for Development of People (Cedep) has appealed to President Peter Mutharika not to rush in assenting to e Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill, into law, saying the bill has all good intentions only that it has been spoiled by some discriminatory aspects. He cited the discriminatory […]
Within three weeks from last Thursday, when the Marriage, Divorce & Family Relations Bill of 2015 was passed unanimously in Parliament in Lilongwe, the President could assent to it, and it shall thus become the law of the land. First, what is in the bill? I will lift verbatim what has been circulated widely by […]
The Gender Equality and women empowerment (GEWE) project has welcomed the passing by Parliament of the Marriage Divorce and Family Relation bill saying the Act will help strengthen the project’s initiative of keeping girls in school. Among other things, the bill, which will be passed into law after President Pater Mutharika assents to it, bans […]
A bill that Malawi Parliament passed banning child marriage, raising the minimum age to 18 and updated the laws on marriage and divorce, included making rape within marriage explicitly illegal. One of the more controversial elements of the bill refers to marital rape. While confirming conjugal rights in marriage, the law states that a spouse […]
Malawi lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of a new Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill that still does not recognise same sex marriage as it is clear that marriage is a union between two adults of the opposite gender. This will disappoint those who would have hoped that there could be a way to legalise same-sex […]
The new Malawi Marriage, Divorce ad Family Relations Bill-passed by parliament last week- here is the Summary. Know your new/additional obligations in Marriage now. 1. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE BILL? The proposed law intends to: • Ensure that unlike the present situation, Malawi has one law that applies to different types of marriage […]
There are times that I ask myself whether Malawians are some different species of the human race. I, at times, consider Malawians as aliens. Last week, when news broke out that Parliament had passed the Marriage, Divorce & Family Relations bill, the country was filled with blissful pandemonium. There was celebration among human rights activists; […]
Malawi has passed a law banning child marriage, raising the minimum age to 18 in a country where half of girls end up as child brides. Women rights campaigners hailed the move as “a great day for Malawian girls” and said the law would help boost development in one of the world’s poorest countries. But […]