Countries: Malawi
Variables: MABFC-DATA-1

"In Mchinji District, where Ludzi Girls school is located, 33% of girls are reported to fall pregnant before they reach 18, and leave education" (para 9). "The BBC visited a legal clinic under a makeshift tent in a village in Mchinji district - it had more than 1,000 attendees, mostly women. Some were pregnant teenagers, asking what they could do to stay in school after giving birth" (para 26).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: CWC-DATA-1

"More than 85% of Malawi's population lives in villages, set in expanses of land governed by chiefs, living in huts under baobab trees, miles from roads and electricity" (para 23).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: AOM-LAW-1

"Some countries, such as Malawi, have progressive laws that outlaw marriage under the age of 18, although these often come up against longstanding cultural barriers" (para 22).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-3

"Lucy could have been one of those girls. Her father had wanted her out of school when she was 14, but she resisted, and later became the first girl in her village to go to university. Now, with a degree in education, she is a district leader for AGE Africa, an organisation that provides scholarships for vulnerable girls in Malawi, a country where secondary education is not free. Lucy was once a student in the programme, and now she helps girls like herself. Her mother is overjoyed at her achievement, Lucy said, although her father is less so. She said he is still coming to terms with an independent daughter"...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-1

"In Mchinji District, where Ludzi Girls school is located, 33% of girls are reported to fall pregnant before they reach 18, and leave education. Lucy could have been one of those girls. Her father had wanted her out of school when she was 14, but she resisted, and later became the first girl in her village to go to university. Now, with a degree in education, she is a district leader for AGE Africa, an organisation that provides scholarships for vulnerable girls in Malawi, a country where secondary education is not free. Lucy was once a student in the programme, and now she helps girls like herself" (para 9-10). "The...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: MMR-PRACTICE-1

"Unsafe abortion is among the top five direct causes of maternal mortality in the country, contributing up to 18% of maternal deaths" (para 7).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"In Malawi, women seeking an abortion can be imprisoned for up to seven years and anyone administering an abortion to a woman could face 14 years in prison; it is permitted only to save a woman’s life. The law was introduced by the British under colonial rule" (para 2). "A bill to liberalise Malawi’s abortion laws was proposed in 2016 but never made it to parliament because of strong opposition. The termination of pregnancy bill would allow abortions when a woman’s mental or physical health was in danger, as well as in cases of rape, incest or serious foetal abnormalities. In 2021, the bill made it a step further when...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-1

"For three consecutive days in October 2018, Catherine (real name withheld) went to a fishing camp in Luwuchi community on the shores of Lake Malawi to buy fish known locally as usipa. On each occasion, the widowed mother of three returned empty-handed because the fishermen she approached all wanted sex in exchange, not money" (par. 1-2). "'I always refused but then life was becoming very hard for me and my children [and] I was in desperate need of making sales since the [fish-selling] business was my only source of income,' Catherine, now 44, told Al Jazeera. 'The next day, I went back to the beach and when the first fisherman...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: CWC-DATA-2

"In recent years, the fish population has been declining largely because of overfishing and climate change, experts say. That decline has become a key driver for transactional sex across Malawi’s lakeshore districts – where fishing is a way of life and means of income – especially in markets where many buyers are impoverished women, said Fanuel Kapute, professor of fisheries and aquatic science at Mzuzu University in northern Malawi" (par. 5-6). "Malawi has a Gender Equality Act that prohibits sexual harassment with a penalty of 1 million kwacha (approximately $974) and a five-year jail term. But it has barely been enforced and information about it is hardly disseminated in rural...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-3

"In 2016, the Malawi government approved the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, to regulate activities in the sector. However, Friday Njaya, a director at Malawi’s Department of Fisheries, admits that the policy does not adequately consider gender as the authorities responsible for fisheries at the community level, the Beach Village Committees, are still mostly led by men. 'Women in fishing still have inferior roles, further leaving them prone to gender-based violence including sex for fish,' he said. To fix the gap, Njaya says the department is now collaborating on projects with various NGOs, encouraging women to join more cooperatives like Titukulan" (par. 30-33)

Countries: Malawi
Variables: LRW-DATA-1, IRP-LAW-2

"Due to the clandestine nature of the practice, it is challenging to determine the exact number of fishermen and fish vendors who engage in transactional sex because many cases go unreported" (par. 9).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: ISTD-PRACTICE-1

"But the sex-for-fish practice has put many of the participants at risk of HIV/AIDS, said Othaniel Duwe, a fisheries extension worker in the department of fisheries in Rumphi district. 'Many fishers migrate from one fishing camp to the next, if they have the virus, they can bring it into a community or they can be infected during their travels,' [Othaniel Duwe] said." (par. 10-11).

Countries: Malawi
Variables: NGOFW-PRACTICE-1

"The cooperative [Titukulane] was established through a project funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with several organisations, including Find Your Feet, an international nonprofit, working in rural areas. Titukulane’s goal is to empower women to run small businesses and diversify their sources of income. 'One way to combat the practice is to encourage women not to solely rely on fish,' said Mwafulirwa. The cooperative members have divided the responsibilities among themselves, with some selling vegetables and fruits, and others selling maize, rice, soya beans, chickens, and potatoes. They share the proceeds and have even established a village bank managed by Mwafulirwa. The cooperative meets twice a month to discuss...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: LO-PRACTICE-1, LO-DATA-1

"The cooperative was established through a project funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with several organisations, including Find Your Feet, an international nonprofit, working in rural areas. Titukulane’s goal is to empower women to run small businesses and diversify their sources of income" (par. 19-20). "The cooperative members have divided the responsibilities among themselves, with some selling vegetables and fruits, and others selling maize, rice, soya beans, chickens, and potatoes. They share the proceeds and have even established a village bank managed by Mwafulirwa. The cooperative meets twice a month to discuss financial management, and savings culture, as well as a rotation of which members go to the beach...more

Countries: Malawi
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1

"In recent years, the fish population has been declining largely because of overfishing and climate change, experts say.vThat decline has become a key driver for transactional sex across Malawi’s lakeshore districts – where fishing is a way of life and means of income – especially in markets where many buyers are impoverished women" (par. 5-6). "'The practice is worse during the lean season around November and December,' [Fanuel Kapute, professor of fisheries and aquatic science at Mzuzu Univeristy in nother Malawi] told Al Jazeera. 'This is when the catches of usipa are significantly low, and competition is high'" (par. 7). "Malawi has a Gender Equality Act that prohibits sexual harassment...more