( CNN ) About 15 years ago , I was doing research on inheritance laws in Malawi and their impact on women . Part of my research methodology was to engage in focus group discussions with women in village settings . In order to do this in any village in Malawi , one has to seek permission from the village chief . And so I did . The chief told me to come back the next day so that he can have time to mobilize the women , as well as give them proper notice of the proposed discussion . When I came back the next day , the `` women '' had indeed gathered waiting for me . However I noticed that the `` women '' were not women , as such . They were ... kids . Teenage girls . I said to the chief `` I was hoping to talk to women and not to kids or girls , as I do n't think they would understand much about inheritance . '' His response was , `` but these are our women ; look , they have babies with them and they are all married . '' I was shocked . Then it dawned on me , `` aah , girl-child marriages . '' After asking , I found the girls ' ages ranged from 13 to 18 , with two being 24 . This then spurred me into action and it was the beginning of a decade-plus journey of understanding girl-child marriages in my country and fighting for the practice to end . What I found out was disheartening as the statistics came in . I was horrified to learn that Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world . It is ranked eighth of the 20 countries that are considered to have the highest rates of child marriage by the U.N. Population Fund . On average , one out of two girls in Malawi will be married by their 18th birthday , according to the United Nations . In 2010 , half of the women ( 50 % ) aged 20 -- 24 years were married or in a union before age 18 ( compared to 6.4 % of boys ) , while 12 % of women married before they were 15 compared to only 1.2 % of men . Child marriage is in both rural and urban areas . It is also higher than the regional average for sub-Saharan Africa ( 37 % ) . 'Law , save the girls ! ' Being a lawyer , I looked to the law . `` My hero the law , save the girls , '' I thought ! Yet , I soon found out that this was a complex story . The Constitution of Malawi , which is the supreme law of the land from whom all legal authority is derived , has provided for some measures of protection for all children . However the same Constitution defines children as those aged 16 and below . The United Nations defines children as those aged 18 and below and so to that extent the Constitution does not comply with international standards on definitions of childhood . The Constitution also allows marriages of persons aged 18 and below and it does not have a cut-off point where marriage is actually prohibited . This means for all intents and purposes , the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi allows child marriages . Alas the law had failed me ! False hope ? But there was hope in the air . In February , Malawi 's parliament passed the Marriage , Divorce & Family Relations Bill of 2015 into law . This law was born amid the outcry against girl-child marriage , as the country had realized the dangers of girl-child marriage . Save for a few areas , it is a very progressive piece of legislation , particularly from a women 's rights perspective . Among other things , the law prohibits marriage for anybody below the age of 18 . So , does it mean that the Constitutional provisions fall away ? The spanner in the works is that since the Constitution allows marriage below the age of 18 , the new law to the extent that it prohibits child marriage is invalid . So whilst many have celebrated the new law , I have n't , as girls remain shackled by a Constitutional provision that basically allows child marriage . So until the Constitution changes and recognizes children as those aged 18 and above , and therefore puts marriage age at 18 giving many girls the opportunity to go to school and get educated , I will remain sad as I was 15 years ago . 'Guarantee for poverty ' I will remain sad because I know the cost of child marriage . It deprives girls of education and undermines their self-confidence and self-identity . It also makes them prone to physical and emotional abuse by their so called husbands . Further to this , girl-child marriage inevitably means early parentage and higher risks of maternal mortality . As if this is not enough , studies have shown that girl-child marriage is a risk factor in the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections , as young wives do not have much bargaining power to negotiate safe sex with older men . Girl-child marriages need to be prohibited tough the Constitution because they are a violation of every conceivable human right including the right to life , health , education , human dignity and development . What I know for sure child marriage is a guarantee for poverty among girls in my country and I want it to end . No ifs or buts . More from African Voices . More from Opinions . The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of Seodi White .
50 % of girls in Malawi will be married by the time they turn 15 . Studies show the practice increases the risks of childbirth for both mother and infant . New laws preventing child marriage are still overruled by Malawi 's Constitution .