Ministry of Gender condemn Malawi police officers over sexual exploitation
The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare on Thursday issued a statement to condemn allegations by rights groups that Malawi police officers raped women, defiled girls and tortured them during demonstrations in Lilongwe over presidential election results.
Riots broke out last week at Nsundwe- a trading outpost west of the capital Lilongwe – when opposition supporters blocked Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters from attending a public meeting by President Peter Mutharika. One policeman was stoned to death during the unrest.
Rights group Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) claimed that that some police officers took advantage of the chaos to sexually assault women in and around Nsundwe on the following day.
Minister of Gender Mary Navicha has remained mum on the matter but a statement issued by Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, said it is “horrified” with the allegations of sexual exploitation by police officers against married women and girls at the trading centres of Nsundwe, Mpingu and M’bwatalika.
“The Ministry is deeply concerned by these serious allegations that borders on disregard for women’s right and exploitation of their vulnerability,” reads the statement.
The Ministry said it is working with all key institutions to ensure that the allegations are investigated to their logical conclusions.
It urges the public to desist from sharing materials that may reveal the victims’ identity such as photographs, videos or names.
But human rights commentator Makhumbo Munthali faulted Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha and chief director in the Public Sector Reforms Management Unit Seodi White, who is also chairperson of Forum for Concerned Women for issuing “ a mere press statement on such a serious matter.”
Munthali said White and Navicha during the anti-Jane Ansah demonstrations, “they mobilised the whole state machinery and women to march against HRDC (Human Rights Defenders Coalition) for simply calling for Ansah resignation.”
He said the two should have also shed tears and hold protests against sexual harassment and rape of some wives of suspects at Nsundwe in Lilongwe and school girls at boarding schools other than just a short press statement.
“It is sheer hypocrisy of highest order. This is clearly Seodi, Navicha selective approach to shedding tears.
“Where are those tears? Were us the parade/demonstration against the perpetrators? Where is the direct condemnation not hiding allegations,” wondered Munthali.
Munthali said the “politically correct” statement from the Ministry of Gender is “a typical case of hypocrisy and lacks sincerity and deep conviction over the matter.”
Malawi police have since set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations.
“Different professionals… will investigate the matter in a transparent and independent manner,” said police spokesman James Kadadzera in a statement.
“All suspects identified will be treated according to the laws of the land without favour.”
The assaults allegedly took place on October 9 by police officers dispatched to quell the unrest, according to the NGO-GCN.
“Police went to these places on duty because they were in uniform and they used a police car,” said NGO-GCN head Barbara Banda, adding that the officers “threw teargas in every direction”.
“In one instance, the parent of one of the victims was asked to go into another room and the girl was raped.”
Banda told AFP that while three cases of sexual assault had been recorded so far, more could be “unveiled” by the investigation.
HRDC has also called for the allegations to be investigated.
“It is shocking that we have the police, who are supposed to protect people, abusing and victimizing women,” said HRDC official Gift Trapence.
Protests have flared in Malawi since Mutharika narrowly won May’s presidential election amid widespread allegations of fraud.
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Go to Msundwe, Mbwatalika Mai Navicha. That way you will convince me you feel for the victims. Otherwise mere talk is waste of time
Koma abale ine kulepa sindimakumvesesa chimakhala nkhanza or chikondi how can a man react without manhood up is this possible with what feeling. Sunankonde or kumudziwa basi kudzuka eish agalu achiwewe oyenda kukamwa kotsegula mano or lilime la Dovu panja asatana
There is no way Mary Navitcha and Seodi White can let the matter of the Nsundwe rapesgo without crying on TV! No way Amangwetu! If they cried against the Anti Jane Ansah demonstrstions…am sure this time around they will cry the whole day on TV! Seodi and Mary are two women who know how to defend the rights of every woman in this country without considering the party affiliation or tribe!All you doubting Thomases please wait, Seodi and Mary are preparing themselves and booking airtime at MBC TV for their cries. They have also booked trucks to ferry the same wpmen who demonstrated for Jane Ansah to demonstrate at Nsundwe in support of the rape victims!
Nkanakhala wa Police nkananyenganawo timabebi tanyawu. I love Police ikatuluka vacancy mundiwuze guys. Police yomweyo kuti wa wa wa!!!!
Robert Mugabe you are A silly man thinking this is a joking matter. Inenso nkananyenga your mum and your sister and, if you have one, your daughter. Idiot!
“APM…” I think sunakhalepo ndi ma friends apolisi. I am a student at LUANAR ndipo most Police officers are more organized students of our university. Ndiye zomwe apanga it’s a matter of avenging the tragedy of last week. Ndiye I support Police. Iwe ungamve bwanji m’bale wako wa Police ataphedwa? Mwina ulibe m’bale or friend wa Police, Sucheza ndi anthu galu iwe
Ukudzitcha mugabewe ndiwe galu chitsilu wapolice anaphedwa ndi atsikana ndipo udzafa imfa yowawa
Chitsiru
Wait until they rape your own sisters , then you will know what rape is..dunderhead!
Can I ask……..how on earth do Malawians believe that the Malawi police can investigate themselves on this rape and sexual harassment case? This is the same police that is afraid of arresting the DPP henchmen who attacked innocent protesters in BT and hacked a Mr Mayaya almost to death despite the fact that the attack took place in the presence of some police officers and the social media was awash with video footage of the attack………Surprisingly though, the same police were too quick to arrest people in Msundwe even without evidence just becoz Msundwe is deemed to be an opposition area.
How can such unprofessional police be allowed to investigate rape cases that they themselves have committed? Rape cases are very sensitive and the victims need to be handled with great care due to the trauma that they have gone through and in this case to make matters worse, at the hands of the very same police that is supposed to protect them from such a heinous crime……please do not and I repeat do not let any police officer go anywhere near these rape victims becoz every time they see a police officer from now onwards they will be reliving the whole rape episode. What they need is proper counselling to help them recover before any police officer is thrown into their face, their whole life has been ruined and their lives will never be the same again.
All we need now is an independent body to investigate these rape cases if we truly believe in justice.
The killing of a police officer at Msundwe was wrong and the police were supposed to conduct a professional investigation to arrest the perpetrators and not just arrest entire communities using rape and torture as a weapon to extract information from ordinary people to catch the killers. And can I add that all people who have been arrested on suspicion of murder should be released immediately because it is obvious that the police used torture to get confessions to save their face for a botched operation that ended up with one police officer dead.
This Msundwe saga yet again clearly shows that the Malawi police is untrained, unprofessional and of substandard to investigate serious crimes. And it is no wonder that we have many unsolved serious cases in Malawi than in any other democratic country in the world. For instance we have the Njauju murder case, the Robert Chasowa murder case, the Mayaya hacking case, the Mtambo shooting case just to mention a few, these cases and many others will never see the light of the day because we have a highly unprofessional police which is also highly politically compromised.
Our police is so unprofessional becoz for the past 15 years we have been recruiting cadets in the Malawi police force as a reward for party royalty instead of recruiting people who deserve to be police officers………and this problem will take generations to undo becoz we do not have the right leadership in this country at the moment.
The rule of law has been lost in our country, the fact that students in Thyolo can burn their own school becoz they do not like students coming from other districts, the fact that two villages in Nkhatabay can fight with machetes living four people dead on issues that should have been dealt with the police, the fact that people in Msundwe could stone a police officer to death are just but a few clear indications of lawlessness in our country driven primarily by lack of political leadership, nepotism and tribalism. And if this situation is left unchecked for another few months well, I hate to say it but we are headed for a civil war in this country.
The time is now for our elders in this country to come together and sort out this mess once and for all before it is two late. The mtchona currently living at the state house we all know his weaknesses and therefore cannot and should not be expected to help solve this issue, in fact he is part of the problem. The fact that he is encouraging Ms Ansah not to resign is a clear sign of lack of leadership all he is worried about is his presidency and not the plight of the country. He knows that once his tenure is over he will fly back to the US and live happily thereafter while the mess back home still continues.
Izi sizifunika kudikila wathu ayakhule kaya ndiye nkumati tikupanga kondemu palibe chokhulupilika apa nthawi yomweyo zikachitika inu muyenera kukhala oyamba kuyakhula mbuzi
What do you expect from Lomwe uncivilised cabinet ministers. Women ministers who have zokoka nourished by gondolosi.
In fact I heard Navicha yesterday asking why the Msundwe women were complain about being raped by police officers. In her twisted view she said that the Msundwe women should thank God becoz most of them would have died without sleeping with a police officer in their life….. did they not enjoy it she asked……..and I couldn’t believe what she was saying.
mmmmm che Spokosi bodza ngati munthu wankazi bwanji?
Ngati izi zili zoona ndikumuyika Navicha mmanja mwa Mulungu. Adzakolola zomwe iye wa dzala. Alindi ndi ana kapena abale akazi. Ndipemphero langa kuti awone chilango Cha mulomo wake kuchokera kwa Chauta. Palibe yemwe angabisalire Mulungu