The Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi) in January 2017 successfully partnered the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the implementation of an awareness campaign on gender-based violence.
The campaign was undertaken with funding from UNDP to the tune of MK14.5 (About US$20,172.04).
The funds, given through the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, supported MISA-Malawi to implement various activities as part of the 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence.
The activities included public discussions/debates, a solidarity walk and donation to GBV cases at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) as well as newspaper features and radio and TV broadcasts.
The project was a direct follow up to a 2016 training that the ministry, with financial support from UNDP, provided to 40 MISA Malawi senior journalists on the application of gender related laws.
The training looked at Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, 2006; Deceased Estates Act 2011; Gender Equality Act, 2013; Trafficking in Persons Act, 2015; and the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, 2015. The laws provide for protection, remedies and sanctions for all forms of violence perpetuated against women, men, boys, girls, persons with albinism and other vulnerable groups.
Commenting on the project, MISA Malawi Chairperson Thom Khanje said the media plays a central role in promoting the rights of women and girls and that the 16 Days of activism against gender based violence was a strategic period for celebrating success stories and casting the spotlight on challenges affecting women and girls.
‘This is a strategic period for us to push for policies and actions that promote the rights of women, girls and other vulnerable groups. We want to make sure that we have engaged the general public, through the media, to unite to end violence against women and girls.
“We will do this by disseminating the success stories of the multi-sector response to ending gender based violence and by providing a platform for dialogue on the challenges encountered in the fight gender based violence,” Khanje said.
MISA Malawi is calling upon all stakeholders to unite against gender based violence and to report any such cases to relevant authorities.
