The NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) has raised alarm over what it describes as a “deepening national crisis” of killings targeting women and girls, demanding immediate government intervention.
In a statement issued today, NGO-GCN chairperson Maggie Kathewera Banda says the country is witnessing an “alarming and accelerating wave” of brutal murders, warning that the attacks are no longer isolated incidents but a pattern fuelled by impunity.
She adds that women and girls are being abducted and killed with disturbing frequency, with perpetrators largely going unpunished.
“Since the beginning of 2026, women and girls have been disappearing… only to be discovered brutally murdered,” states Kathewera-Banda, adding that continued inaction by authorities is heightening fear and insecurity.
The NGO-GCN has cited recent cases, including the killing of a 26-year-old woman in Liwonde and a 22-year-old university student whose body was found dumped in a bush, as evidence of the growing crisis.
The coalition of 63 civil society organisations has faulted law enforcement agencies for failing to stem the violence, saying the lack of arrests and prosecutions has emboldened criminals.
The coalition has since issued a series of demands, including the immediate deployment of emergency security measures, swift arrests and prosecutions, and increased police presence in communities and learning institutions.
It also called for greater transparency from the Malawi Police Service and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions through regular public updates on investigations and prosecutions.
Beyond authorities, NGO-GCN urged communities, traditional leaders and citizens to take an active role in protecting women and reporting suspicious activities.
“The time for statements and assurances is over. The time for urgent, visible and decisive action is now,” the statement reads.
The grouping warned that continued delays risk more lives, stressing that protecting women and girls is both a constitutional obligation and a collective responsibility.
