A consortium of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has called on government to intervene in the fight against gender-based violence in Machinga District. The call by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and Paralegal Aid Centre comes on the back of statistics showing that 70 percent of women in the district are sexually abused. Speaking
Traditional and community leaders in Dowa and Ntchisi districts have dissolved 85 marriages in less than two months, thanks to the ‘Raising the Voice of Women in the Fight Against Violence Against Women and Girls’ Project.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (CCJP Lilongwe) is implementing the project in partnership with Child Rights Advocacy and Paralegal Aid Centre (CRAPAC) with financial support from UN Women through the Spotlight Initiative Project.
The ultimate goal of the four months project is to contribute towards significant empowerment of women and girls and creation of a violence-free environment.
The project, which expires this June, was implemented in areas under Senior Chief Nthondo and TA Kalumo in Ntchisi and TAs Chiwele, Mkukula and Msakambewa in Dowa.
In Kaleza Village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwere in Dowa, 17-year-old Alefa Jeputala is breastfeeding her six-month-old baby while her immediate 16-year-old cousin, Gelo Postini, is carrying her four-month-old pregnancy.
Across the river in Kayesa Village, seven girls have dropped out of school over the past three years due to combined early marriages and unplanned pregnancies.
Prior to giving birth in January 7, 2021, Alefa’s desire to start married life with her 18-year-old boyfriend ended into disaster as the then innocent, nice looking and loving boyfriend had suddenly become violent and uncooperative.
Kamundi–We have developed effective initiatives designed to address underlying risk factors for violence.
Government has challenged traditional and community leaders in Dowa and Ntchisi to take a leading role in safeguarding and promoting the rights of girls and women in their societies.
Gender Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Kondwani Mhone, observed that violence is contributed to rising levels of inequalities in Malawi.
Mhone–Violence is a catalyst for inequalities in all sectors of the economy–Photo by Watipaso Mzungu, Nyasa Times
Mhone made the sentiments at Mponela in Dowa on Monday during a daylong training to equip traditional and community leaders with skills for addressing sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in their areas.
May 14, 2021 Watipaso Mzungu-Nyasa Times 1 Comment
Refugees and asylum seekers residing at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa are ‘cooking up’ sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases against fellow refugees to claim insecurity in Malawi.
Police in Dowa have disclosed that the refugees and asylum seekers use police reports arising from false SGBV claims to justify their application for resettlement in Canada and other Western countries.
Dowa Police Station Criminal Investigations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Chance Sibale, made the revelation during a daylong engagement for magistrates and the police from Dowa and Ntchisi districts.
Kamundi Phiri (sitting second from left) poses for a photo with magistrates and police officers