Source: Malawi News Agency
Mulanje — Mulanje District Assistant Social Welfare Officer, Wilson Maduka has express concern over the current increase of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the district saying there is need for stakeholders to intervene.

According to data presented by the Social Welfare Office, between the months of January and March, 2019, over 78 GBV cases have been reported against to 278 cases that were reported the whole of last year.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency on Tuesday, Maduka attributed the situation to culture and poverty.

"A lot of women in the district are vulnerable to abuses because they depend economically on their husbands at household level," he said.

Maduka was quick to say this might be a good thing as it means that people are aware of GBV and are now able to report on the cases as they take place.

"In the past the victims of GBV could not report but now those that report are assisted properly and they share it with their friends to seek assistance as well. So the increase may seem alarming but it means that a lot of people are reporting," he said.

Maduka said that lack of resources is of the major challenges the district is facing in dealing with GBV cases.

The Assistant Officer said that "We do not have enough resources to monitor each case closely because most cases require continual coordination which means traveling more often to the victim's homes but with the limited fuel we cannot manage to do that."

The Social Welfare Office is carrying out sensitization campaign in the local communities to raise awareness on GBV and the dangers associated with it.

 

Written by Peter Chilenga

• Africa
• Malawi