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Police and the social welfare office in Mangochi disrupted an engagement ceremony between a 19-year old boy and a 16-year old girl.
This comes at the time when Malawi government is strongly condemning early marriages and teen pregnancies.
Mangochi assistant social welfare officer Harvey Mbwenzo confirmed the development while commending the community for the tip.
According to Mbwenzo the incident occurred in the afternoon of Sunday at Mchocholo village, Traditional Authority (TA) Mponda in the district.
“We were tipped by the members of the community that the girl in question who is in standard 7 was getting married despite the disapproval of her parents,” he explained.
He added that following the tip, the team from Social Welfare office and police rushed to the place and successfully disrupted the engagement ceremony which was about to happen.
“In the meantime the husband, Samson M’mamiwa from Senga Village in the same TA is in police custody for further investigations,” he added.
According to Mangochi Police deputy public relations officer Amina Tepani Daudi, it is against the law for the person under the age of 18 to get married saying that person is regarded as a child.
“As police we wish to thank stakeholders and members of community for their vigilance in implementing by-laws against child marriages in Mangochi.
In Mangochi at least three teen marriages have been ended by police and other stakeholders in 2020, Mangochi according to District Health Office has about 1.2 million people.
