Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to plague Malawi, with data showing a sharp rise in reported cases over the past three years, reaching nearly 24 000 incidents in 2025 alone.
Statistics from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Disability Welfare, presented to Parliament’s Women’s Caucus and Social Welfare Committees in May, reveal a worrying upward trend. Between 2022 and 2025, GBV cases increased by almost 20 percent, peaking at 24 900 incidents in 2024 before a slight decline the following year.
Women remain disproportionately affected, consistently accounting for between 68 and 91 percent of all cases. In 2025, female victims reached an all-time high of 22 312 out of 24 467 incidents.
Male victims are also on the rise, with 2024 recording 7 000 cases while children under 18 now represent 13 percent of all victims.
Ministry director of child affairs James Hamela said the figures highlight a widening gap in the fight against GBV. He noted that child marriages, classified as GBV, remain alarmingly high at 32 percent, despite ongoing campaigns to eliminate the practice.
“We are facing a huge gap in our efforts to end GBV. This year’s budget was cut by 36.9 percent, reducing our allocation from K244 million to K154 million. Yet about K500 million is required to sustain awareness and prevention initiatives nationwide,” Hamela said.
Parliamentary Committee on Social Welfare chairperson Savel Kafwafwa linked the rise in GBV directly to child marriages, stressing that the terminology itself should change. “These are not marriages; they are violations. Their prevalence is directly tied to the surge in GBV. We must work collaboratively to end them,” he said.
Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Worlec) executive director Maggie Kathewera-Banda attributed the spike to systemic failures.
“Funding for sensitisation and civic awareness has dwindled, creating a vacuum for GBV to thrive. Communities need education on what constitutes GBV, and law enforcers must act decisively. Collaboration among families, traditional leaders, law enforcers, and the Judiciary is critical to speed up prosecution,” she said.
GBV cases are categorised into emotional, economic, physical, and sexual violence. Emotional and psychological abuse remains the most prevalent, accounting for 52–55 percent of all cases.
Economic violence rose steadily, increasing 33.8 percent from 4 313 cases in 2022 to 5 771 in 2025. Physical violence recorded the sharpest rise, jumping 43.5 percent from 3 563 cases in 2022 to 5 103 in 2025.
