UN Rep Decries Shortfalls Thwarting Gender Violence Eradication
UN Women Country Representative Letty Chiwara told reporters that implementation lags behind stated commitments codified in laws and plans passed by parliament.
LILONGWE, Malawi — A top UN official in Malawi said Thursday that funding and policy gaps are undercutting efforts to curb widespread violence against women and girls despite enacting protections on paper, writes Judgement Katika.
UN Women Country Representative Letty Chiwara told reporters that implementation lags behind stated commitments codified in laws and plans passed by parliament.
She spoke ahead of an annual 16-day activism campaign aimed at galvanising urgent action.
“As we look at the theme for this year’s campaign, which is ‘Unite, Invest to End Violence Against Women and Girls,’ the key point is to unite and invest. That is where the gaps are,” Chiwara said during a press briefing in the capital.
Malawi suffers from high gender violence rates rooted in entrenched cultural attitudes and economic dependencies. Over a third of girls marry before the age of 18, while cases of rape and defilement fill court dockets.
Chiwara warned against fragmented approaches across ministries, urging unified prevention and response coordinated by the national gender ministry together with police, social welfare officials, and health workers.
“The gaps are in terms of investments that have been limited—in terms of funding to address the challenges that women and girls face once they are violated,” she emphasised.
In her remarks, Gender Minister Jean Sendeza acknowledged persisting budgetary shortfalls but touted existing policies like the National Plan of Action to Combat Gender-Based Violence adopted in 2020.
President Lazarus Chakwera has also launched public campaigns targeting gender norms, though critics say not enough funds have followed the pronouncements so far.
Sendeza called for joint efforts from across Malawian society to turn high-level policies and statements into on-the-ground impact through awareness and material support provisioning survivors.
“As a country, we recognise that it is important to remind ourselves of the ills that women and girls face within communities and find interventions that create a safe and conducive environment,” the minister affirmed.