Men urged to report gender-based violence

Police have urged men in Chikwawa District to report gender-based violence (GBV), saying suffering in silence is pushing them to committing suicide.

South East Police Region Commissioner Chikondi Chingadza said this on Tuesday during an awareness campaign on the importance of seeking help from victim support units.

She said despite women and children being the most vulnerable group, men also suffer GBV.

“Most of the suicide victims are men because they choose not to report to anyone, but suffer in silence. That is why we encourage both men and women to always report or seek guidance from the victim support unit,” said Chingadza.

Paramount Chief Lundu also urged men to report to victim support units when they face domestic violence.

“Men should not feel embarrassed to report domestic violence to police,” he said.

Maideni Fole, a Chikwawa resident, commended the police for encouraging men to report GBV.

“Sometimes men do not want to report about domestic violence because our cultural beliefs portray them as strong. Unfortunately, their failure to share their problems drives them to commit suicide,” he said.

The European Union (EU) is supporting the Malawian Police Service to rehabilitate victim support units in the country.

The EU has so far rehabilitated eight structures in the country.