LILONGWE, Malawi
Dozens of women took to the streets of Malawi’s capital on Monday to
protest against sexual violence after a series of alleged police assaults on
women last year.
Young activists at the "She Decides" march against sexual violence in Lilongwe, Malawi, on March 2, 2020. |
About 90 protesters, most of them
women, marched through Lilongwe in silence to mark She Decides Day - a global
movement launched in 2017 after organisations that talk about abortion were
barred from receiving U.S. government funding.
“I’m here because I am against men
raping women each and every day,” said Eunice Kachimela, a 13-year-old student
from Lilongwe.
“My friend was raped and we took the
case to court, which made me so passionate. We need to speak up so things can
change.”
Chimwemwe Mlombwa, one of the
organizers, said some of the protesters chanted a traditional saying that
translates as “every girl has a right to decide, don’t ruin her future simply
because she is a girl”.
The march comes amid a rise in
feminist activism in Malawi, where rape is widespread, but rarely reported due
to stigma, lack of access to the judicial system and a cultural normalization
of sexual abuse.
But the issue burst into the open
last year when a number of women and girls accused the police of sexually
assaulting them during violence that followed a disputed presidential election
in May.
Malawi’s Women Lawyers Association
has filed an application for a judicial review, arguing that a “failure to
investigate promptly and take action against perpetrators violates the women’s
constitutional rights”.
Police spokesman James Kadadzera said
via WhatsApp message the force was currently investigating complaints from 17
women. “Everybody should be assured that we are doing all we can to make sure
we finalize the investigations,” he said.
Among the protesters on Monday were a
small number of female sex workers including Chiletseo Chakungu, 45, who
arrived with traditional chitenje (African print fabric) wrapped around her
waist and a skirt and fishnet stockings underneath.
“I had to wrap this around me because
otherwise I would have been booed or harassed at the vendors market on my way
here,” said Chakungu. “But I like wearing this and it’s my choice.” -
Thomson Reuters Foundation
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