Study by Malawi Human Rights Commission revealed that many girls, especially in northern Malawi, get married immediately after attaining the age of puberty which in sometimes may be as low as twelve. Their male counterparts on the other hand generally got married at the age of 17. The Commission also noted that in a significant number of cases girls got married even before attaining puberty, so long as they looked physically mature. These girls are generally driven into marriage at an early stage by cultural and socio-economic factors. This implies that marriages of children who are below the age of 18 are not uncommon in Malawi and that child marriages are a wide-spread practice.