Stakeholders advocating for children’s rights have urged members of parliament to pass the amended Child Care, Protection, and Justice Act, which standardizes the age limit for a child at 18 years.
This move aims to resolve previous inconsistencies, as the constitution defined a child as anyone below 18 years, while the Child Care, Protection, and Justice Act identified a child as someone under 16 years.
In an interview with MIJ Online, Judith Pangani, Country Coordinator for the Breakthrough Consortium, said the amended act now clearly defines a child as anyone under 18 years old.
She mentioned that the consortium has presented the issue to the parliamentary committee on social welfare, seeking their support in passing the amended act.
Meanwhile, Ronald Phiri, the Deputy Director of Gender in the Ministry of Gender says there is need for swift discussion and the creation of a miscellaneous bill to ensure the protection of both girls and boys in Malawi.
Commenting on the suggestion, Savel Kafwafwa, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Welfare, said the constitutional change was not aligned with other parts of the law, including the Gender Act and the Child Care, Protection, and Justice Act, since the constitution was amended in 2018.
Kafwafwa has asked the consortium to develop a work plan to ensure all relevant laws are consistent and address the same issues.
