Originally published in The Nation on August 15, 2025, and reproduced here.
Malawi has one of the highest child marriage rates, with over a third of girls married by age 18. This severe violation of girls’ rights also fuels a cycle of poverty that costs the nation millions. With upcoming presidential elections taking place amid an economic crisis, candidates have a unique opportunity: commit to investing in ending child marriage to support girls’ rights and unlock economic growth.
Despite banning child marriage, it remains entrenched, driven largely by poverty, lack of education, early pregnancy, harmful practices and weak enforcement of laws. Drought and rising food costs are pushing struggling families to view child marriage as a survival strategy: one fewer mouth to feed. But it has lifelong consequences for girls—from reduced education and lost income to increased violence and health impacts—and perpetuates poverty for their children, families and communities.
The Women Lawyers Association, with the support of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, has raised awareness, provided free legal aid, and supported survivors in communities with high child marriage rates, reaching more than 7000 people. Among them is Mwayi (name changed). One of seven children, she was forced to drop out of school after her father died, and her mother could not afford the fees. At 16, she married a 17-year-old boy. She endured years of domestic violence, finally seeking help at 19. Because the customary marriage was not legal—both were under 18—she has no rights to marital property or alimony. WLA secured a protection order and filed for child support. But the father claimed he cannot pay as he is unemployed. Mwayi and her one-year-old baby are returning to live with her mother.
Unfortunately, Mwayi’s story is all too common, and it underscores how child marriage has become an economic crisis as much as a human one.
One of the reasons is that girls who are unable to attend school are more likely to marry early, and girls who marry often drop out of school, leading to reduced earnings. UNICEF (2022) found that 93% of girls married or in a union aged 15-17 in Malawi were out of school, compared to 80% of never-married girls who remained in school.
Secondly, child marriage leads to early and multiple pregnancies, which limit education and future earnings, and strain public services. Early and frequent pregnancies put both mother and baby at risk. Girls are often forced to leave school or work to look after their children. Children born to girls are more likely to be stunted, leading to losses in earnings and the national GDP. In Malawi, 62% of women aged 20-24 who were married or in a union as children gave birth before age 18.
Thirdly, child marriage increases the risk of gender-based violence, which causes long-term physical, psychological and economic harm, reduces their lifetime earnings and costs the economy. UNICEF (2022) found that 36% of women aged 20-24 in Malawi who were married or in a union under 18 experienced intimate partner violence in the previous year.
It all adds up to a staggering financial impact. A 2021 report by the African Institute for Development Policy estimated that each child marriage case costs Malawi around MWK 9 million. A World Bank study (2018) estimated that early marriage and childbearing have cost women in Malawi the equivalent of US$167 million in earnings.
Conversely, ending child marriage in Malawi could generate the equivalent of US$500 million within 15 years from slowing population growth, increased education and productivity growth. Education budget savings alone could reach US$108 million by 2030.
That’s a huge opportunity for Malawi’s presidential candidates, who should take this moment to commit to fully financing Malawi’s National Strategy to End Child Marriage. Launched in October 2024, it aims to reduce the child marriage rate to 20% by 2030 by increasing education, economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, stronger legal protections and community engagement, but has yet to receive full funding. Civil society, like Girls Not Brides Malawi—a coalition of over 90 organisations—is ready to help the authorities make that vision a reality. This simple step will boost Malawi’s economy and secure a more just, prosperous future, where every girl has the chance to live a full, free life.
Rothna Begum is the Legal Advocacy Director of the Waging Justice for Women initiative at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Hazel Olithia Miseleni is a Project Lawyer with the Women Lawyers Association.