UN wants independent probe into allegations of rape by Malawi police officers
The United Nations (UN) has suggested that an independent body should investigate serious allegations of police rape of women and girls at Nsundwe in Lilongwe.
UN country coordinator Marie Jose-Torres said an independent probe would bring trust and ensure that the inquiry outcome is accepted by all.
The police say they have instituted their own inquiry into the allegations following an outcry from women and children rights activists as well as foreign governments.
Torres also asked for the protection of the alleged victims.
“There is need to protect the victims of the sexual assault to avoid being re-victimised,” she said.
Sandra Paesen, the EU ambassador to Malawi condemned the alleged sexual violence and called for “light to be shed on what happened.”
The British high commissioner to Malawi, Holly Tett, also called for a thorough investigation. She said: “The UK believes that the best way to restore the police and public trust is through a thorough investigation.”
Earlier this month demonstrators set up roadblocks in the capital, which led to the deployment of the police. In the pandemonium that followed, a police officer was killed. Security officers stormed the area the following day, spraying teargas and attacking the public and the sexual assault allegedly happened during that time.
The NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) documented accounts from women and girls who said they had been sexually assaulted by police officers.
“While NGO-GCN advocate justice on the case [the killing of the police officer], the network is disturbed with reports that some of the police officers dispatched in the area … raped women, defiled self-boarding girl students, tortured people and looted private property,” read its report.
The report, which described how police officers threw teargas and broke into houses, demanded that the President and other authorities ensure the allegations were thoroughly investigated and perpetrators punished. “ No one is above the law and the rule of law must be respected,” said the report.
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Police is doing a commendable job.No comment.Do not give them headache on self inflicted problems.Mtambo, Chakwera and Chirima let them give protection to Msundwe.They are always saying bad about police.Discpline your people there.They have been raped by their own people ndi nyau.
This behaviour of taking pollce for granted must end . this issue is a cooked up story to cover up these barbaric community . if at all rape happened anagwirilana okhaokha so don’t associate our descent police in this.
This is 100% true. Our police cannot do such things. Its a false story, made up by these people to get attention.
The police is unfortunately full of rapists,
looters, criminals of all kinds. Women and girls get raped all the time even in police cells. Its a complete shame and disgraceful, and of course as usual the president is nowhere to be seen. Even police women arent safe, sexual abuse is rampant.
Soon after sampling gondlosi at chonde, the AROMWE cadets headed straight to Lilongwe for the operation.They knew exactly what to do to silence the troublesome Lilongwe people.Kugwililira was the plan!
In my previous postings I warned Malawians that Peter Hitler Mutharika is the most dangerous man who is going to bring Malawi into a civil war. All higher positions for our security of our land have been given to his tribe people, Lomwes. He uses his tribe to oppress, murder, rape, and assassinate voices that disagree with him. The DPP cadets (militia) are compared to Interhangwe militia that slaughtered one million Tutsis because to them they were not Rwandans enough. We have seen how the DPP militia have infiltrated the army, police, and other apparatus of our security. They use… Read more »
THIS IDIOT MUZUNGU. THEY SHOULD GO AND INVESTIGATE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN IRAQ. ANTHU AWA KODI AMAZITENGA NGA A MULUNGUUUUUU
I suggest conversely you’re telling the world that you and your party don’t even care that Msundwe women were raped…………. and don’t even sympathize with them about the could be STI and or HIV/AIDS consequences they are exposed to, considering that the police is one of the HIV/AIDS high risk group. Koma ma cadet inuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu………………….. muona polekela ndithudi chifukwa central region will never allow you to continue treating us or our sisters/mothers/aunts etc as you so wish……………………………..! Apo biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ndiye anzanu ambiri amene atiyandikila tithana naooooooooooooo chifukwa based on this thinking, them too are equally dangerous to our people!!
The real struggle in all this is the fertile land in the central region as tea growers stole all the land from the manganjas in MJ area leaving the late comers to be tea pickers only.This only means that a lot of those lomwes now living in the centre might be sitting ducks without proper protection.The best way forward is to stop this madness otherwise reprisals will be inevitable in such chaos.
Mzunguyu ndiye ndi oopsatu!
police they went to arrest the murders and the same time rapes? how did they manage to arrest the merders and rape at the same time? its doubtifull
SHAAAAAA APA GAME YAPITA KUPHEDI NO TIPEX INVOLVED HERE ONLY INDEPENDENT BODY
Poeple, Malawi Police cannot do this inhumane actions. My thinking is that the opposition (MCP and UTM) have organized these thugs to impersonate police and have instructed them to carry out these abuses. They have the resources to do such things, and to provide the police uniforms and vehicles. Their motive is to discredit the government, through creating chaos and anarchy in Malawi, so that there will be intensified protests leading to a coup to oust our dear President Peter Mutharika. We *must* not give in to these thugs.
This is a very stupid comment from a morally bankrupt creature masquarading as a human being. Selling your morals because partisan politics. Very unfortunate
Stupid comment from idiot Sally Phiri. Looks like you have no brains to think! The best was for you to keep your stupid comment to yourself you moron.
Kikkkk izoso ndiye ziti?
And we have a President who choses to bury his head in the sand ,giving deaf ear and acting mute and blind.
We are being ruled by a government which has no respect for women.
A leader who allows his sympathisers to disrespect women infront of him.
Aleader who does not see anything wrong with undressing women.
A leader who promotes someone for seriously insulting and being disrespectful to the former first lady.
Someone who think its right to rape women and children.
Strategy from the ruling party.
Now what is big mouth Dausi saying in this?