UN hails Chakwera for Penal Code review

The United Nations (UN) has hailed President Lazarus Chakwera for signing into law the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, saying it will help end child marriages in the country.

UN resident coordinator in Malawi Rebecca Adda-Dontoh made the remarks at Endingeni in Mzimba yesterday while appreciating activities on ending gender-based violence (GBV) through the Spotlight Initiative.

Among others, the Penal Code amendments redefine a child as a person under the age of 18 and that any male person who has sexual intercourse with a female child shall be liable to life imprisonment.

Said Adda-Dontoh: “This is a good development to all those who are fighting violence against women and child marriages.

“If you have a government that ensures that a policy is in place and that it is enforced to protect boys and girls, I think that is worth applauding.”

Acting Mzimba district gender officer Prisca Zimba said the fight against GBV in the district was facing some challenges that include delays by the Ministry of Justice to approve by-laws.

“The delays to approve the by-laws means communities cannot apply them. We are also faced with delayed conclusion of GBV cases by some services providers despite being provided with resources,” she said.

Adda-Dontoh, while acknowledging that formulation of by-laws and promulgating them was a process, urged speed from the Ministry of Justice.

“We will encourage the ministry to ensure that the by-laws are promulgated to protect women and girls,” she said.

Last December, the National Statistical Office with support from the European Union (EU) and UN launched the first official national observatory hub for sexual and gender-based violence data.

The platform is one of the products that NSO has developed to collect and disseminate sexual and GBV data in Malawi.

The Spotlight Initiative is funded by the United Nations and EU seeks to eliminate all forms of violence by 2030.