LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Action Aid Malawi in partnership with Women Judges Association of Malawi (WOJAM), Social Welfare and Lilongwe District Education Network {LIDEN} this week launched a mass campaign a bid to contain domestic violence on women, youth and young girls in per-urban areas.
The campaign comes amid reports that there is still a substantial number of girls who continue to drop out of school.
This is due to a lot of factors including violence perpetuated by social norms which forces girls into early marriages; increased urban poverty due to social inequalities among the poor and the rich that pushes girls into child labour and transactional sex for a living and the Macro Economic Policies that decreases government spending on Gender Responsive Public Services such as Education, Health, Police and Judiciary to mention but a few which have a bearing on attainment of basic fundamental rights of citizenry.
Not only that but also non-conducive school learning environments such as inadequate sanitary facilities forces girls to drop out of school and reduction in certain services in hospitals such as meal provision and palliative care, pushes the burden of unpaid care work among girls and women.
This prompted Action Aid Malawi to engage its partners to conduct the sensitization meetings in the schools.
But during the sensitization, it was very clear that there is need to reach out to communities with the message of ending violence while encouraging communities especially parents to provide for all the basic needs for children of all ages such as food, shelter, clothes, learning materials and make sure they raise their children in safe environments, free of violence.
Consequently, in 2017, Lilongwe Urban Women Forum (LUWF) in partnership with Action Aid participated in Irish Aid Consortium, which for the past five years has been joining hands to campaign against gender-based violence during 16 Days of Activism.
This is the reason, the mass campaign was launched at Chatata School ground in the city to sensitize the communities on the evil of the vice.
Chimwemwe Gondwe, Action Aid Malawi Program Coordinator for Lilongwe Per-Urban emphasised the need for the public to embrace free violence communities.
Gondwe said the organisation with its partners will go flat out to reach all torn-urban areas in the city to contain the vice.
Echoing on the same, WOJAM Vice Chairperson, Judge Ivy Kamanga said the judiciary is ready to pick up all domestic violence cases with passion for fair trials.
Judge Kamanga therefore advises the general public of firstly resolving minor-family matters before engaging the courts saying it save time and resources.
Traditional Authority (T.A) Chatata disclosed that by-laws are in place to handle all domestic related cases before the court.
The mass campaign is being conducted in the Peri-Urban Areas of Chinsapo, Kawale, Kauma, Area 49, Chatata and Area 25-Mgona.
