A faith-based project has advised women of faith to break their silence and lead efforts to combat gender-based violence (GBV) and other forms of violence affecting women and girls in Mangochi.
Women in Faith chairperson the Reverend Matilda Matabwa said women of faith are well placed to influence change in their families, religious institutions and communities.
She said this on Tuesday during the launch of the Lifting Voices, Leading Change: Women of Faith for Gender Equality in Malawi project in the district where she challenged women of faith to speak against GBV.
| Ayamba Kandodo
Matabwa said the women have a responsibility to become agents of change and take a leading role in the fight against violence in their communities and faith institutions.
She said: “Women are better placed to lift their voices and lead change in our societies and even in our faith institutions.
“The project will equip women from different denominations with knowledge and skills to support vulnerable people and challenge practices that perpetuate violence.”
Matabwa also said the project will strengthen trauma-healing and referral systems to provide spiritual, physical and psychosocial support to victims and survivors of violence.
Religions for Peace (RfP) deputy secretary general Deepika Singh said faith leaders and women of faith have a critical role in confronting violence because they are trusted by communities and can use that influence to protect women and girls.
“When faith leaders exercise moral courage, they become a formidable force in condemning violence against women and girls and standing firmly on the side of justice,” Singh said.
Sharing GBV statistics during the launch, Mangochi Police Station officer-in-charge Ulemu Kalua said the district recorded 600 GBV cases in 2025.
He said the district has already recorded 511 cases between January and August this year.
The two-year project is implemented under Public Affairs Committee’s (PAC) Women in Faith structure with support from Religions for Peace.
