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Despite concerted efforts by the Malawi government and non-state actors to end gender-based violence, there has been a surge in such cases across the country.
Last Friday, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) convened gender rights activists in Mbonera, Dowa for a one-day gathering and reflection session on gender-related laws.
This training was conducted by The NCA-DCA Malawi Country Program adopted a project titled “Strengthening effective protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls from gender-based violence through improved access to justice, self-advocacy and self-action”.
The reflection session attracted representatives from government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the police and non-governmental organizations including the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM), the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), the Association of People with Albinism (APAM), the Catholic Women’s Association (CWA), the police, Oxfam Malawi, the Gender and Justice Unit (GJU) and youth organizations.
Stella Zimba, CCJP’s Programme Officer for Gender, said the conference was convened to create a smart strategic framework for addressing gender-based violence (GBV) through reflective dialogue and tailored institutional action plans, ultimately creating a safer and more equitable environment.
Zimba said her organization has observed that even though the country has some of the most progressive and stringent laws that would help eradicate the vice, there are still gaps in implementation.
“There are a lot of loopholes in gender-related laws. One of the loopholes is that most women whom these laws are meant to protect are not aware of them. Once again, we find that the laws in our country are biased in favour of women. For example, when you talk about inheritance, the law favours women and ignores the rights of men,” she narrated.
The Association of People with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) deputy national secretary Virginia Chimodzi said the reorganisation and reflection session was very timely, stressing that the knowledge she gained from it would enhance their skills and knowledge on gender-related laws.
Chimozi assured the meeting that the knowledge they gained would be passed on to APAM members across the country.
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