Digital Platform Helps Combat Rising Cases of Gender-Based Violence in Malawi
According to recent reports, the number of violent incidents in the country increased by 16.7% in 2022.
Malawi: In order to increase adolescent girls' and young people's access to information about sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) and case reporting, an organisation called IPAS has launched a digital platform called "Ipas Health Link" and a USSID *380# for TNM numbers, writes Hamida Assan Mwale.
The platform was established in response to the rise in gender-based violence cases in Malawi, which occurred in spite of the government's numerous efforts and interventions to stop it.
According to recent reports, the number of violent incidents in the country increased by 16.7% in 2022.
Police specifically noted 2,507 instances of physical assault, 119 rapes, 1,155 defilements, 158 instances of child neglect, and 208 instances of suicide.
IPAS introduced the computer application last year to assist young people in reporting cases of any form of abuse in recognition of the need to involve youths in the fight against gender-based violence, which has so far had a positive impact.
The innovation, according to Christopher Kandionamaso, the Health System Advisor for Ipas Africa Southern Region, has supported the continuity of SRH rights services, reaching out to remote areas with varying levels of technology access.
"We introduced this application to address issues of human rights, information about the locally accessible sexual and reproductive health, as well as a mechanism to report sexual and gender-based violence to relevant authorities, allowing young people to report without travelling a great distance to police stations, and access follow-up care and support,” stated Kandionamaso.
“We have trained intermediaries who report, follow-up on, and manage the cases, including doctors, nurses, social protection personnel like police, social welfare officers, and lawyers, as well as youth champions.”
There have been 266 cases reported on the dashboard thus far, spanning sexual violence, physical violence, emotional/psychological abuse, and economic violence.
The application, according to one of the victims of sexual abuse who requests anonymity, helped her cope with the abuse she had been experiencing for a long time.
"I didn't know who to share my experiences with and I was suffering in silence until I came across some Youth Champions who came in our community to educate us on the importance of using this digital platform to access information and report any case of abuse,” the anonymous user explained.
"I want to encourage all the young people and women out there to use this digital tool to report any form of violence they may encounter. It has been very beneficial to me, and I was able to pursue my case until I received full support from it.”
Ipas Africa Southern Region intends to expand this technological innovation to other communities in places like Mangochi, Zomba, Chikwawa, and Karonga where there are a lot of cases of violations of human rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The innovation will also be replicated in other Southern African nations where Ipas is active, including Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique.