Karonga women fight for their rights
Women in Malawi’s northern district of Karonga are taking a bold step towards reducing violence against women and girls which is reportedly rampant in the lake shore district largely because of silence surrounding the issue.
Commentators have been arguing that those women in Malawi are subjected to violence especially by their spouses largely due to cultural beliefs, difference in economic earnings and lack of voice among women.
Women’s rights lobby group known as Karonga Women Forum have launched a campaign to reverse the trend. Under a project known as Ufulu wa Amayi (UWAMA), the forum’s coordinator Joyce Nyondo says they want to sensitize fellow women on their rights and empower them with knowledge that would uplifting their social and economic status in the society.
Nyondo told Nyasa Times that its high time women need to break the culture which subject women to suffer in silence say if women remain silent, efforts to end violence will be rendered fruitless.
“We are urging women to be reporting all cases of abuse to the organization, police station or other rights oriented institutions because violence does not only affect women but also the social-economic development of their own households and that of the country as a whole”, she says.
The women’s rights coordinator hopes that allowing justice to prevail is key to ending violence against women. She then appealed to traditional leaders to join hands in the fight.
UWAMA project is being implemented in Traditional Authorities Kilupula, Mwirang’ombe and Paramount Chief Kyungu, all in Karonga district.
Karonga Women Forum works in partnership with Ministry of Gender, Women and Child Development, Police, Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation and Foundation for Community Support Services.
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