Feature
Gender

By Frazer Potani, Lilongwe, Malawi

Today, as Africa joins the international community in commemorating the International Day of ‘No Violence Against Women’ if the continent can empower its women with literacy they can claim their rights.

Yes! Literacy levels are for instance low among women than men in sub-Saharan Africa due to among other things, cultural values that favor boys to attain education while denying girls the same due to primitive mentality that she will get married, bear children and be her husband’s helper!

“In many African countries, there is still a lack of appreciation of women’s rights and gender equality,” said Jacqueline Adhiambo Oduol at the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW).

Due to low literacy, women have been unable to understand their rights and claim them to the extent that some Gender Based Violence (GBV) women victims have been suffering in silence.

A project by Action Aid International-Malawi however, successfully revealed that if women are civic educated on their rights not only do they develop courage to claim them but also support fellow women who are ignorant of their rights to claim them.

Herbalist Ziloya Mkandawire, 42, from Mwachanda Vil¬lage, an Area under Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe in Rumphi, northern Malawi is serving a 12-year-prison sentence on rape charges at Zomba Central Prison in the southern region of the country after his victim’s mother was assisted to claim the girl’s rights.

He in 2008 met 14-year-old girl *Nyuma from Chidolozi Village also under Chief Chikulamayembe while the girl was coming from Nkhozo Full Primary School where she was in standard 6.

Ziloya lied to the girl that he knew her father by cheating her that he would give her traditional charms to pass her examinations.

The girl agreed to get the charms from Ziloya’s house where he sexually harassed her through rape.

To escape the arm of the law Mkandawire threatened that the girl would die if she revealed to anyone what had happened.

Three months later, signs of pregnancy became evident and the girl’s parents forced her disclose who was responsible.

When Nyuma revealed Ziloya and her parents filed the case to the local chief who just fined the herbalist MK 43, 000 ($286 then) and ordered him to marry her.

Dissatisfied with the chief’s determination with advice from some community members within the village the girl’s mother reported the matter to the police.

Police arrested Ziloya but released him two days later on the pretext that the case was civil as there was no evidence of rape.

Still dissatisfied by the police’s determination within the area, Nyuma’s mother reported the mat¬ter to Chikulamayembe Women Forum members who were sensitized about their rights by Action Aid International-Malawi a Non-Governmental-Organization (NGO).

With support from the NGO’s staff the case was taken up by Rumphi Police Offic¬er-In-Charge and after revisiting some documents, the police chief agreed it was a criminal rape case.

As a result Ziloya was re-arrested and the case was referred to Rumphi Magistrate Court where on March 10, 2009 and convicted and sentenced to 12 years Imprisonment with Hard Labour on rape charges.

Similarly Eluby Mwale of Mtem¬benge Village in the same Chief Chikulamayembe’s area fell victim of GBV but was ignorant about it.

Her husband abandoned her with their three children. The man took most of the items from the grocery that they used to run together includ-ing five bags of fertilizer that they had bought together.

“He took these to the new wife. Despite marrying a new wife he continued to visit me, disturbing me and sometimes even beating me and collecting more items from the grocery and other household items,” said Mwale adding that she reported her case to Women Forum who referred it to court.

“The court issued a protection ordering him to give back the five bags of fertilizer, three bags of maize and K3, 000 [about $20 then] for grocery items. I am happy to be free,” she said.

In a report Action Aid International-Malawi Country Director Boniface Msiska disclosed £1,054,891 (about MK160 million then) was invested in the project deliberately targeting women’s rights and gender equality activities.

“We work with women and girls because they are regarded as second class citizens who bear the brunt of the violence that is ingrained in their culture,” he said.

Msiska disclosed that in 2009 his NGO continued to work and support 8,292 women and girls in the 13 Development Areas it works.

He also explained that most cultural practices in all Malawi’s three regions of north, central and south make women treated as lesser human be¬ings through many forms of GBV.

“As one way of addressing this violence, we facilitated formation of structures that would work with us to implement activities in the years to come,” said Msiska.

He added that in the project the major activities included building Women’s Forums capacity to help women and girls in the communities know their rights and what to do when they have been violated.

“We also helped form Mother Groups, which are branches of Women Forums. Their main role is to work with girls to ensure their rights are respected both in school and at home; encour¬age girls who have dropped out of school for whatever reason to return to school and to report any violence against them,” said Msiska.

Under the project Women Forums further formed anti-Violence Against Women (VAW) committees whose role is to act on any violence against reported cases.

“In occasions where violence has been observed and no report is made, the victim is approached and encour¬aged to take the issue up to be addressed,” explained Msiska.

Women and girls were also sensitized on the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) and Wills and Inheritance Acts.

“The knowledge women gained on women’s rights has been an eye-opener and embold¬ened them to report more cases of violence against them to police for redress in court,” said Msiska.

He disclosed that between January and December 2009 alone 811 VAW cases were reported (250 more than in 2008 exceeding the 700 target by 15.8 percent).


“Some 35 women won cases in court and got back their property including land which was grabbed from them,” said Msiska adding that 88 women were also able to demand and be given land of their own
and 20 girls were rescued from early marriages and went back to school.

He further explained that in Rumphi, after 26 women became aware of their rights they were even able to reach out other 120 women from the Women Forums and handled VAW and Violence Against Girls (VAG) issues better than before.

National Gender Coordination Network chairperson, Emma Kaliya said it was encouraging that unlike in the past many women and girls in Malawi are now reporting GBV.

However, she was quick to plead with traditional leaders to lead in GBV fight.

“If our traditional leaders strongly rise up against Gender Based Violence we can root out this problem because these are elders with great influence on issues in their communities,” she said.

President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered law enforcers to bring anyone infringing pain on women through any acts of GBV to book saying such acts are criminal.

“Women deserve respect and protection in this country because we even exist because of women,” he said.

*Real name concealed for journalistic ethical grounds to protect the girl’s rights