Are Laws/Policies Enough? Stakeholders' Views on Implementing Interventions on Ending Child Marriage in Malawi

Background/Purpose: Preventing child marriage has been a prominent focus on both global and national agendas for the last five decades (Sayi & Sibanda, 2018). As a result, there has been a significant increase in the implementation of evidence-based practical approaches to eliminate child marriage. Many African countries have enacted laws that ban this practice, and some have developed national strategies and National Action Plans (NAPs) to address the issue (Lo Forte et al., 2019; Mbaku, 2020). Despite the existence of these laws, they have had minimal effect, and numerous African countries are struggling to implement the National Action Plans (NAPs), resulting in ongoing violations of girls' human rights (UNICEF, 2015). Because girl child marriage is a normative practice that is deeply embedded in community social fabric, it is typically unchallenged (Girls not Brides, 2021).
This study aimed to understand why, despite numerous countries enacting strict laws to prohibit child marriage, the impact of these laws and related efforts appears to be limited and minimal (Nguyen & Wodon, 2015; Scolaro et al., 2015).

Methods: Using 'qualitative semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling, 22 "key multilevel stakeholders" from governmental networks and coalitions working to end child marriage—particularly those spearheading campaigns against child marriage in Malawi were interviewed for this study. The primary goal was to understand how they perceived the link between Malawi's child marriage laws and their efforts to develop and implement interventions. Data were coded using Dedoose software, and thematic analysis was used as a constant comparative method to extract basic concepts from the data and compare them to other data to facilitate meaningful categorization.

Findings: The study found that existing laws were adequate but ineffective due to poor dissemination and implementation. Furthermore, these laws were not harmonized, particularly in terms of child definitions, which resulted in different interpretations of the legislation. Regarding whether or not people accept the laws prohibiting child marriage, participants' answers varied. Some believed that the laws are widely accepted despite their poor dissemination, while others believed there was lack of acceptance because the practice is deeply ingrained in cultural and traditional norms. Other participants contended that, while the laws aimed at ending child marriage in communities were accepted, they did so reluctantly due to conflicting messages from too many existing laws.

Conclusion/Implications: The study's findings provide new insight into how existing child marriage-related laws do not fully influence how stakeholders develop and implement interventions to end child marriage. While opinions varied, the majority of stakeholders believed that laws alone would not be sufficient to combat child marriage. Also, because many stakeholders believe the laws are insufficient and contain gaps, additional large-scale studies are needed to determine what variables contribute to the efficient execution of relevant laws. Despite the limited progress made in ending child marriage, it is unclear whether this progress can be attributed to the enacted laws. Hence, it is imperative for future studies to investigate the methods for quantifying the impact of laws to track the efficacy of such legislation.