By Brian Longwe
MACHINGA-(MaraviPost)-It has been established that police officers, especially at Mangamba and Ntaja police posts located in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Liwonde in Machinga district are fuelling child marriages and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
This has come to light when various concerned groups such as Child protection forums, Mother groups, school committees, local leaders and religious leaders in the area lodged complaints to Plan Malawi Organisation over habitual mishandling of serious cases by some police officers.
According to Group Village Head (GVH) Mangamba, police officers are fond of receiving bribes from offenders who are arrested for being found involved in criminal cases like impregnating young girls, defilement, rape, child marriages and GBV, a motive which leads to re-occurrence of the malpractices.
Mangamba confirmed that he has witnessed a handful cases whereby police released criminals without being questioned in court.
He explained “police are taking us for granted. They demand briberies from offenders and offer them bails without following legal procedures. This creates room for those criminals to repeat their evil acts knowing that they will be out of jail after giving officers some coins, hence, putting innocent children’s lives at stake.”
The Maravi Post has learnt that law enforcers demand money amounting to 20, 30 and/or 90 thousand Malawi Kwacha to offer bails to law breakers.
Report from Plan Malawi International Organisation indicate that within the first quarter of the year 2018 from January to April, over 50 girls were involved in child marriages in T/A Liwonde before the organisation and its partners came to their rescue through Yes I Do project.
However, commenting on the matter, the Community Policing Coordinator for Machinga Police Station Inspector Naison Chibondo said he could not deny or agree to the allegations, instead, blamed lack of community’s awareness on constitutional laws.
Chibondo said “I can not deny or agree to the suspicions but i can clearly say there is lack of awareness of constitutional laws among the locals. People are not aware of Marriage Act, Child protection Act and others. This influence them to be illiterate on how to report and handle such cases that is why sometimes they are let down by other crooked and corrupt police officers.”
Civic Education Coordinator for Centre for Human Rights Rehablitation (CHRR) Thandizo Mphwiyo condemned the practice saying it is defying girls’ rights to education.
Mphwiyo demanded for thorough investigations by the Authorities to bring to book those officers involved in such illegal acts
