Malawi gets K18.5bn for GBV fight
The European Union (EU) has given Malawi 22 million euros (about K18.5 billion) for programmes aimed at ending violence against women and children.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) portfolio manager responsible for Institutions and Citizen Engagement Agnes Chimbiri, said EU is working with the United Nations (UN) in the programme.
She said: “The programme is called Spotlight Initiative and its main donor is the EU to the tune of 500 million euros for various countries and Malawi’s share in the funds is 22 million euros.”
Chimbiri said the programme, which will be launched in January 2019, will involve the engagement of community radio stations in selected programme districts to sensitise people to various forms of women and girl child abuse.
“We have noted that a number of violations take place in the dark where the victims do not report either because of fear or lack of knowledge of where to take the matter to,” she said.
On Saturday, UNDP trained community radio representatives in Lilongwe where it equipped them with knowledge of the initiative and the role community radios can play in its implementation.
She urged journalists, especially those working for community radios, to develop programmes that unearth gender-related violence, especially on women and girls, and bring in experts to share insights on what the victims can do.
“This is a joint affair for all sectors either public or private, including the media and that is why we have selected community radios for this training because we know they can report what is happening in specific districts and so people can understand them better,” she said.
A renowned women’s rights activist Emma Kaliya said it is high time people recognised the importance of women in society and give them the respect they deserve.
She said women have potential to develop the country once given a chance but in most cases, they are pulled down.
The programme is scheduled to run from 2019 to 2022 and the training participants were drawn from districts with high levels of women and girls abuse according to the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey statistics.
