PARENTS, CHIEFS AND NRB OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE OVER AGE CHEATING

By Kenson McCloud 

Some parents in Machinga district are allegedly conniving with chiefs and officials from the National Registration Bureau to issue out national Identification cards for their underage children.

A Break through project on ending child marriages has exposed the malpractice.

The age cheating is said to be one of the factors contributing to high cases of child marriages being registered in Machinga district.

Speaking to Timveni, Senior Assistant Social Welfare Officer for Machinga, Charles Kazembe, faulted some parents for their desperation to marry off children.

Kazembe said the children are being deprived of their rights to better services according to their age.

However National Registration Bureau was not available for comment on how it intends to address the situation.

Meanwhile, one of the country’s Child rights activists Desmond Mhango, has appealed to the authorities to penalise parents involved in the malpractice.

Mhango said parents need to understand that efforts to end child marriages remain a collective responsibility.