First lady says sexual violence increase worrisome
First Lady Monica Chakwera says she is shocked with the sudden rise in defilement and rape cases in the country.
Chakwera said this on Sunday when she visited and cheered a 10-year-old girl at Mzuzu Central Hospital who is receiving treatment for severe injuries sustained during a defilement ordeal.
The girl, who was defiled on her way from school, has already undergone two procedures.
The First Lady said people should complement government efforts in fighting the vice which she said is inhumane and evil.
President Lazarus Chakwera has since announced that the ministry of Home Affairs is forming a taskforce to deal with the matter.
Later in the day, madam Chakwera told chiefs from Likoma island and Rumphi who visited Mzuzu State Lodge to join her in the fight against rape and defilement.
A week ago, a two-year-old baby died of her rape injuries in Blantyre while another girl is still receiving treatment for her rape injuries at Chikhwawa district hospital.
Lawyer Madalo Banda accused the government of underplaying the severity of sex offences.”I think perpetrators… lack humanity and knowledge of the fact that it is a crime,” Banda said.
The recent upsurge in reported cases of defilement has prompted several gender and governance bodies to protest across the country’s cities calling on relevant authorities to intervene in the matter.
