While polygamous marriages are not legally recognized under Malawi's civil marriage laws, customary law affords a generous amount of benefits to polygamous unions, ranging from inheritance rights to child custody.
It has been estimated that nearly one in five women in Malawi live in polygamous relationships.
[1] In the 2000s, there were efforts to abolish the practice and legal recognition of polygamy; these were led mainly by anti-AIDS organizations and feminist groups.
Islamic religious leaders opposed an effort in 2008 to outlaw polygamy.
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