I'll begin today by sharing a poem written by my friend from Malawi, Eileen Piri. Eileen is only 13 years old, but when we were going through the collection of poetry that we wrote, I found her poem so interesting, so motivating. So I'll read it to you. She entitled her poem "I'll Marry When I Want." (Laughter)
Nitaanza leo kwa kuigawana shairi iliyoandikiwa na rafiki yangu mmalawi, Eileen Piri. Eileen ana miaka 13 tu, lakini tulipoangalia diwani ya ushairi tuliyoandika, Niliona shairi yake ilinivuta sana, ilitia motisha sana. Basi nitakusomeeni. Ameiita shairi yake "Nitaolewa ninapotaka" (Kicheko)
"I'll marry when I want. My mother can't force me to marry. My father cannot force me to marry. My uncle, my aunt, my brother or sister, cannot force me to marry. No one in the world can force me to marry. I'll marry when I want. Even if you beat me, even if you chase me away, even if you do anything bad to me, I'll marry when I want.
"Nitaolewa ninapotaka. Mama yangu hatonilazimisha kuolewa. Baba yangu hatonilazimisha kuolewa. Mjomba, Shangazi, Kaka au dada, Hawawezi kunilazimisha. Hakuna mtu duniani awezaye kunilazimisha kuolewa. Nitaolewa ninapotaka. Hata ukinipiga, hata ukinifukuza hata ukinifanya vibaya, Nitaolewa ninapotaka.
I'll marry when I want, but not before I am well educated, and not before I am all grown up.
Nitaolewa ninapotaka, lakini sio kabla sijapata elimu nzuri na sio kabla sijakua mtu mzima
I'll marry when I want."
Nitaolewa ninapotaka."
This poem might seem odd, written by a 13-year-old girl, but where I and Eileen come from, this poem, which I have just read to you, is a warrior's cry.
Shairi inaonekana isiyo ya kawaida kuandikwa na msichana wa miaka 13, lakini tunapotoka mimi na Eileen, shairi hiyo, niliyoikusomeeni, ni sauti ya shujaa.
I am from Malawi. Malawi is one of the poorest countries, very poor, where gender equality is questionable.
Ninatoka Malawi. Malawi ni nchi ya maskini, maskini sana, ambapo usawa wa kijinsi sio hakika.
Growing up in that country, I couldn't make my own choices in life. I couldn't even explore personal opportunities in life.
Kukua katika nchi ile, Sikuweza kujichagulia katika maisha. Sikuweza hata kuzichungua nafasi za kibinafsi katika maisha yangu.
I will tell you a story of two different girls, two beautiful girls. These girls grew up under the same roof. They were eating the same food. Sometimes, they would share clothes, and even shoes. But their lives ended up differently, in two different paths. The other girl is my little sister. My little sister was only 11 years old when she got pregnant. It's a hurtful thing. Not only did it hurt her, even me. I was going through a hard time as well.
Nitakuambieni hadithi ya wasichana wawili tofauti, wasichana wawili warembo. Hawa wasichana walikua chini ya paa moja. Walikula chakula sawa sawa. Wakati wengine, wangezigawana nguo, na hata viatu. Lakini maisha zao ziliishia tofauti, kwa njia mbili tofauti. Yule msichana mwengine ni dada yangu mdogo. Dada yangu alikuwa na miaka 11 alipopata mimba. Ni jambo la kuumiza. Si kama ilimwumiza pekee, lakini mimi pia. Nilikuwa na wakati wa tafrani pia.
As it is in my culture, once you reach puberty stage, you are supposed to go to initiation camps. In these initiation camps, you are taught how to sexually please a man. There is this special day, which they call "Very Special Day" where a man who is hired by the community comes to the camp and sleeps with the little girls. Imagine the trauma that these young girls go through every day. Most girls end up pregnant. They even contract HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Kwa sasa katika utamaduni wangu, ukifika ubalehe, inabidi uende makambi ya kuanzisha. Katika makambi haya, unafundishwa vipi umfurahishe mwanamume kwa kijinsia. Kuna siku maalum, wanayoiita "Siku maalum sana" ambapo mwanamume anaajiriwa na jamii anakuja kambini na anafanya mapenzi na watoto wadogo. Wazeni kiwewe wasichana hawa wanachokisikia kila siku. Wasichana wengi wanapata mimba. Na hata wanashikwa na ukimwi na magonjwa mengine ya zinaa.
For my little sister, she ended up being pregnant. Today, she's only 16 years old and she has three children. Her first marriage did not survive, nor did her second marriage.
Kwa dadangu mdogo, alipata mimba. Leo, ana miaka 16 na ana watoto watatu. Ndoa yake ya kwanza haijaishi, wala ndoa yake ya pili.
On the other side, there is this girl. She's amazing. (Laughter) (Applause) I call her amazing because she is. She's very fabulous. That girl is me. (Laughter) When I was 13 years old, I was told, you are grown up, you have now reached of age, you're supposed to go to the initiation camp. I was like, "What? I'm not going to go to the initiation camps." You know what the women said to me? "You are a stupid girl. Stubborn. You do not respect the traditions of our society, of our community."
Kwa upande wengine, kuna msichana huyo. Anashangaza. (Kicheko) (Makofi) Nasema anashangaza kwa sababu ni kweli. Ni zaidi ya mzuri. Msichana yule ni mimi. (Kicheko) Nilipokuwa na miaka 13, Niliambiwa, umekua mzima, sasa umebalehe, inadhaniwa uende kambi la kuanzisha. Nilisema, "Nini? Siendi kwa yale makambi ya kuanzisha." Unajua nini mwanamke yule aliniambia? "Wewe ni mpumbavu. Mkaidi. Huziheshimu desturi za jamii yetu, za jumuia yetu."
I said no because I knew where I was going. I knew what I wanted in life. I had a lot of dreams as a young girl. I wanted to get well educated, to find a decent job in the future. I was imagining myself as a lawyer, seated on that big chair. Those were the imaginations that were going through my mind every day. And I knew that one day, I would contribute something, a little something to my community. But every day after refusing, women would tell me, "Look at you, you're all grown up. Your little sister has a baby. What about you?" That was the music that I was hearing every day, and that is the music that girls hear every day when they don't do something that the community needs them to do.
Nilikataa kwa sababu nilijua wapi nilipokwenda. Nilijua nilivyotaka katika maisha yangu. Nilikuwa na matumaini mengi nilipokuwa mtoto. Nilitaka kupata elimu nzuri Kutafuta kazi nzuri wakati wa badae. Nilikuwa najifikiria kama mwanasheria, kukaa katika kiti kile kikubwa. Yale yalikuwa mawazo yaliokuwa katika akili yangu kila siku. Na nilijua kwamba siku moja Ningesaidia kupa kitu, kitu kidogo kwa jumuia yangu. Lakini kila siku baada ya kukataa, wanawake wangeniambia, "Jitazama, umekua mtu mzima. Dadako mdogo amepata mtoto. Vipi wewe?" Ile ilikuwa muziki niliyoisikia kila siku, na ile ni muziki wasichana wanayoisikia kila siku wasipolifanya jambo ambalo jumuia inawatakia wafanye.
When I compared the two stories between me and my sister, I said, "Why can't I do something? Why can't I change something that has happened for a long time in our community?"
Nilipozilinganisha hadithi hizo mbili kati ya mimi na dadangu, Nilisema, "Mbona nisiweze kufanya kitu?" Kwa nini nisiweze kubadilisha jambo lililotokea kwa muda mrefu katika jamii yetu?"
That was when I called other girls just like my sister, who have children, who have been in class but they have forgotten how to read and write. I said, "Come on, we can remind each other how to read and write again, how to hold the pen, how to read, to hold the book." It was a great time I had with them. Nor did I just learn a little about them, but they were able to tell me their personal stories, what they were facing every day as young mothers. That was when I was like, 'Why can't we take all these things that are happening to us and present them and tell our mothers, our traditional leaders, that these are the wrong things?" It was a scary thing to do, because these traditional leaders, they are already accustomed to the things that have been there for ages. A hard thing to change, but a good thing to try.
Wakati ule niliwaita wasichana wengine kama dadangu, ambao wamepata watoto, waliokwenda darasani lakini wamesahau kusoma na kuandika. Nilisema "Njoo, tukumbushane je kusoma na kuandika tena, kuikamata kalamu vipi, kusomaje, kuzuia kitabu." Ilikuwa wakati nzuri sana nao. Sio kwamba nilifundishwa kidogo kuhusu wale, lakini pia waliweza kuniambia hadithi zao za kibinafsi, waliyokabiliana kila siku kama mama wadogo. Wakati ule nilidhani, "Kwa nini tusiweze kuangalia mambo hayo yanayotuathiri na kuyaonesha na kuwaambia mama zao, viongozi wetu wa jadi, kwamba mambo hayo ni maovu?" Ilikuwa jambo la hofu, kwa sababu viongozi hawa wa jadi, wameshayazoea mambo yaliyokuwepo kwa muda mrefu. Ni jambo ambalo ni ngumu kubadilisha, lakini nzuri kujitahidi.
So we tried. It was very hard, but we pushed. And I'm here to say that in my community, it was the first community after girls pushed so hard to our traditional leader, and our leader stood up for us and said no girl has to be married before the age of 18. (Applause)
Kwa hiyo tulijitahidi. Ilikuwa ngumu sana, lakini tulivumulia. Na mimi nipo kwa kusema kwamba katika jumuia yangu, ilikuwa jumuia ya kwanza baada ya wasichana walijitahidi sana kumthibitishia kiongozi wa jadi wetu, na kiongozi wetu alitutetea na akasema hakuna msichana alazimishwaye kuolewa kabla hajafika miaka 18. (Makofi)
In my community, that was the first time a community, they had to call the bylaws, the first bylaw that protected girls in our community.
Katika jumuia yangu Ilikuwa mara ya kwanza kwa jumuia, ilibidi watazame sheria ndogo, ya kwanza iliyowalinda wasichana katika jumuia yetu.
We did not stop there. We forged ahead. We were determined to fight for girls not just in my community, but even in other communities. When the child marriage bill was being presented in February, we were there at the Parliament house. Every day, when the members of Parliament were entering, we were telling them, "Would you please support the bill?" And we don't have much technology like here, but we have our small phones. So we said, "Why can't we get their numbers and text them?" So we did that. It was a good thing. (Applause) So when the bill passed, we texted them back, "Thank you for supporting the bill." (Laughter) And when the bill was signed by the president, making it into law, it was a plus. Now, in Malawi, 18 is the legal marriage age, from 15 to 18. (Applause)
Hatukumaliza na hivyo. Tuliendelea. Tulikusudia kuwapigania wasichana sio katika jamii yangu tu lakini kwenye jamii nyingine. Wakati muswada wa ndoa za watoto iliwasilishwa mwezi wa pili tulikuwepo kwenye mahakama ya bunge. Kila siku, wakati wabunge walipoingia, tulikuwa tukiwaambia, "Tafadhali uitegemee muswada hii?" Na hatuna teknolojia nyingi kama huku, lakini tunazo simu zetu ndogo. Kwa hiyo tulisema, "Mbona tusiweze kupata namba zao na kuwatumia text?" Kwa hiyo tulifanya hivyo. Na ilikuwa jambo zuri (Makofi) Kwa hiyo muswada ilipokubalika, tuliwajibia na text, "Asante kwa kutegemea muswada." (Kicheko) Na muswada iliposajilika na Rais, kwa kuifanya kuwa sheria, ilikuwa ziada. Sasa, katika Malawi, miaka 18 ni umri wa kisheria kuolewa, kutoka 15 hadi 18. (Makofi)
It's a good thing to know that the bill passed, but let me tell you this: There are countries where 18 is the legal marriage age, but don't we hear cries of women and girls every day? Every day, girls' lives are being wasted away. This is high time for leaders to honor their commitment. In honoring this commitment, it means keeping girls' issues at heart every time. We don't have to be subjected as second, but they have to know that women, as we are in this room, we are not just women, we are not just girls, we are extraordinary. We can do more.
Ni jambo zuri kulijua kwamba muswada imakubalika, lakini nikuambieni: Kuna nchi ambako miaka 18 ni umri wa kisheria kuolewa, lakini sio tunasikia kilio za wanawake na wasichana kila siku? Kila siku, maisha ya wasichana yanashuka thamani. Ni wakati muhimu kwa viongozi waiheshimu ahadi yao. Kwa kuiheshimu ahadi hiyo, inamaanisha kuyaweka maswala ya wasichana moyoni kila mara. Tusitiishiwe kama duni, lakini wajue kwamba wanawake, kama sisi chumbani humu, sisi sio wanawake tu, sisi sio wasichana tu, sisi ni wa ajabu. Tunaweza kufanya zaidi.
And another thing for Malawi, and not just Malawi but other countries: The laws which are there, you know how a law is not a law until it is enforced? The law which has just recently passed and the laws that in other countries have been there, they need to be publicized at the local level, at the community level, where girls' issues are very striking. Girls face issues, difficult issues, at the community level every day. So if these young girls know that there are laws that protect them, they will be able to stand up and defend themselves because they will know that there is a law that protects them.
Na kitu chengine kwa Malawi, na si kwa Malawi pekee lakini nchi nyingine pia: Sheria zinazowepo, mnajua sheria sio sheria mpaka inatekeleza? Sheria iliyokubalika juzi na sheria ambazo katika nchi nyingine zimekuwepo, zinahitajika kutangazwa kwa njia za kienyeji, katika jamii, ambako maswala ya wasichana yako wazi. Wasichana wanakabiliana na maswala, maswala magumu, katika jamii zao kila siku. Kwa hiyo ikiwa wajue kwamba kuna sheria ziwalindazo, wataweza kusimama na kujilinda kwa sababu watajua kwamba kuna sheria ziwalindazo.
And another thing I would say is that girls' voices and women's voices are beautiful, they are there, but we cannot do this alone. Male advocates, they have to jump in, to step in and work together. It's a collective work. What we need is what girls elsewhere need: good education, and above all, not to marry whilst 11.
Na kitu chengine nisemacho ni kwamba sauti za wasichana na wanawake ni nzuri sana, na zipo, lakini hatuwezi kufanya peke yetu. watetezi wa kiume, washirikiana, wajihusishe na tufanye kazi pamoja. ni kazi ya umoja. Tunavyohitaji ni vile vihitajikavyo na wasichana wa sehemu zote: elimu nzuri, na juu ya yote, ni kutoolewa wakiwa na miaka 11.
And furthermore, I know that together, we can transform the legal, the cultural and political framework that denies girls of their rights. I am standing here today and declaring that we can end child marriage in a generation. This is the moment where a girl and a girl, and millions of girls worldwide, will be able to say, "I will marry when I want."
Na zaidi ya hayo, Najua kwamba pamoja, tunaweza kubadilisha mifumo ya kisheria, kiutamaduni na kisiasa inayozikanusha haki za wasichana. Nasimama hapa leo na kutangaza kwamba tunaweza kuisha ndoa za watoto katika kizazi kimoja. Sasa ni wakati ambapo msichana na msichana, na millioni za wasichana duniani, wataweza kusema, "Nitolewa ninapotaka."
(Applause)
(Makofi)
Thank you. (Applause)
Asante. (Makofi)