LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Women and girls who were allegedly harassed by some Police officers at Msundwe, Mpingu and Mbwatalika in Lilongwe last year, have complained that the officers who are interrogating them in the ongoing police investigation, are being threatened and verbally abused by the members of the investigation team.
According to Ombudsman, Martha Chizuma, who is also a commissioner of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, her office has received complaint from the women and it is in talks with the Police to reach the bottom of the matter.
“As a commission, we are aware that the Police are now doing criminal investigation. What we did now was to engage with them because they are the ones who asked us to assist them in this regard. So, we are still engaging. We are very much aware that what the Police are doing is simply their mandate. Of course, we have heard about the treatment and we already engaged them and right now we are only waiting for a feedback from the senior officers we engaged,” Chizuma said.
One of the girls who are being interrogated by the Police complained that the officers swore and verbally harassed her during their investigation.
In October last year, Police officers were reported to have sexually harassed women and girls at Msundwe, Mpingu and Mbwatalika in Lilongwe.
Findings of an investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman revealed that the Police really did the criminal act.
However, report by an independent investigation into the same, which the Police instituted has not yet come out.
