Lilongwe District social welfare officer Derrick Mwenda says the district has registered over 700 gender-based violence (GBV)-related cases in May.
He disclosed this last Friday during a legal clinic by Women Lawyers Association of Malawi (WLA) at Chankhandwe Primary School in Lilongwe.
Mwenda said the cases were registered in various communities.
“Lilongwe is one of the largest districts in Malawi. We receive a lot of GBV cases from various communities across the district.
“In May alone, we received 530 cases of child marriages. Again, we received 101 defilement cases. In the same month, we also received 75 cases of domestic violence against women,” he said.
In her remarks on behalf of Senior Chief Masula, Senior Group Village Head Kalongedza thanked WLA for the legal clinic, saying GBV cases are rampant in the area.
She said the workshops equip communities with knowledge on their rights and how to tackle GBV issues.
Said Kalongedza: “These legal clinics help community members understand their rights and how to access justice. We urge WLA to continue with these legal awareness clinics and trainings in the area and beyond.’’
WLA executive director Golda Rapozo said they regularly host legal clinics to inform the public about their rights and avenues for reporting issues because the country continues to register GBV cases.
She said they have helped many women access justice.
Said Rapozo: “Overall, we have assisted at least 1 000 women in Malawi this year and we hope to assist over 5 000 by the end of this year.
“We conduct capacity building trainings among community leaders to have a place for people to go when they have GBV cases. We also have safe houses to shelter GBV victims.’’
She observed that Malawi still has a long way to go in addressing GBV, despite existing laws such as the Gender Equality ACT and the Prevention of Domestic Violence ACT.
“I encourage people of Senior Chief Masula’s area to report GBV, rape, defilement and child marriages to relevant authorities such as the police, WLA, courts and the district social welfare office,” added Rapozo.
The legal clinic focused on ending child marriages, GBV, deceased estates, elderly rights and general human rights awareness and it aimed to educate the community on various legal issues surrounding these topics.a
