Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill Receives Overwhelming Response: Passed Without Amendment
The much awaited bill Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill has received irresistible positive reaction from members of National Assembly.
The Bill was presented on Thursday afternoon by Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare hon. Patricia Kaliati. She told the house that the bill seek among others raise the marriage age from 15 to 18 years in order to promote wellbeing of children especially girls who are being married at tender age.
“The bill adds value to the promotion of education and empowerment of children especially the girl child.”
She said girls are continuously facing gender based violence and that Malawi is among 10 countries with the highest child marriage levels in the world currently estimated at 52% which she called the “sad note”
She said this development is ruining the future of girls because of fistula due to teen pregnancies and school dropouts.
Responding to the bill party spokes persons hailed the bill saying it will assist alleviating challenges that women and girls are facing in the country in absence of this legislation.
Malawi Congress Party Spokes person on Gender issues in the National Assembly hon. Jessie Kabwira in her remarks said “It is a longer awaited bill” adding “It declares Malawi’s fight in ending gender violence and early marriages”
She said early marriages are creating a cycle of poverty in the country and it denies girls right to heath, education and on behalf of MCP Kabwira urged all parliamentarians to support this bill in order to make people from their constituencies (those who voted them) to live better life.
Peoples Party Spokes Person hon. Patricia Kainga Nangozo said “PP supports this Bill because it will help this country to ably define who the child is in our own understanding” she added that this will help girls to stay in school and be mature before getting married a development which will help them contribute effectively to the economy.
She also hailed that the bill will protect women during divorce and added “This is a bill to benefit both men and women”
United Democratic Front (UDF) Chief Whip and Spokes Person on gender issues in Parliament hon. Lillian Patel said the party supports the bill.
She said the early child marriages are worse in her constituency “Over 21 girls aged 11 years dropped out of school in a single term at one school. I hope that problem is not only in my constituency, this might as well happen in other constituencies. We have to support this bill”
But she bemoaned that the fees contained in the bill are mean and urged the ministry to change.
However male MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the level of debate of the bill because no male MP was given an opportunity to hold the floor and very few female MPs spoke on the bill. During the tea break male MPs were heard on top of their voices over dissatisfaction on how the bill has been debated.
The development saw leader of the Opposition in Parliament hon. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera immediately after tea break expressed his dissatisfaction over lack of men’s voice in the chamber.
“I am concerned over procedure of the debate which has been curtailed without men contributing on the bill.” He said “It should have been better to let men to speak on the bill because this is not women issue”
But the bill was passed without amendment. Immediately after the bill was passed the Leader of House Honorable Francis Kasaila thanked all parliamentarians for passing the Bill and announced that the house be adjourned immediately (That time was 16:30 hours) which was 30 minutes earlier to the official adjournment time at 17:00 hours.
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