By Thandie Chadzandiyani
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Stakeholders have agreed to form a taskforce to do a compressive review and decriminalize a law which gives stiffer punishments to boys who have been convicted on contextual sex and other sexual offences against girls.
This was agreed this week during a meeting involving members of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs – Director of Public Prosecution, officials from the Ministry of Justice and judiciary.
Peter Dimba, chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs-said there is need to decriminalize contextual sex among two adolescents-saying other countries such as South Africa and Botswana have already done it.
Dimba said what is happening now is discrimination against boys arguing the law does not allow someone to be discriminated on the basis of gender.
He added that the review will also include laws that give softer punishments to women convicted on sexual offences against boys.
Dimba said the stakeholders are also proposing for a moratorium on the law pending the review.
According to statistics from the Malawi Police Service, so far this year Malawi has registered about 13056 cases of gender based violence out of which 1224 cases where for defilement.
The report further indicates that a majority of sexual violence was subjected to young women between the ages of 14 and 24.
