The Minister at the press briefing in Lilongwe
* Minister of Gender, Community Development & Social Welfare condemns increasing violence
* It’s evil and a threat to the basic human right to life for all human beings enshrined in the Republican Constitution
By Eunice Disi Lole, MANA
From January 2023, Malawi has registered 78 cases of violence against the elderly of which 25 were killed — a development which Minister of Gender, Community Development & Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza has condemned as evil and a threat to the basic human right to life for all human beings enshrined in the Republican Constitution.
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At a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Sendeza observed that acts of violence against the elderly has recently been on the rise in the country, saying: “I am devastated and saddened, not only by the attacks and killings of the elderly that is happening in the country, but also the magnitude of the violence and the continued perpetuation of the abuses and harassment, particularly on older women.”
She emphasized that the Republic of Malawi Constitution guarantees every Malawian the right to life regardless of age — and Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Malawi subscribes to, recognizes that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights.
The Minister stressed that the elderly, just like any other person, are entitled to all the rights and freedoms without any distinction of any kind and should not live in fear of losing their life because of some beliefs which some people hold against them.
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Recent brutal attacks have been reported from Balaka and Dowa and the Minister described the situations as disheartening in that the acts occurred in front of people who would have rescued the victims but instead chose to take videos.
Sendeza has, therefore, urged all communities and their leaders to help in the fight against any form of violence against the elderly and has warned that all perpetrators, if found, will face the law.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alex Simenti, who is Director of Malawi Community Policing, expressed great concern over the rise of the cases being registered at police stations despite the messages that are being spread on the protection of the elderly.
The Commissioner appealed to Malawians to stop the attacks saying once caught the law will take its course and warned that bail will not be granted to anyone found violating the law in as far as elderly persons are concerned.
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In an interview, Andrew Kavala — executive director for Malawi Network of Older Persons, applauded the Minister for taking a step in addressing the barbaric act and assured to join hands with various stakeholders to help create a conducive environment for the elderly.
Kavala said aging is a process of life, and all factors constant and God willingly, everyone is going to get old and as such would want to land into safe age and see that there is an enabling environment for those who are old.
Last month, Malawi’s social and economic issues commentator, Hesi Chikoko expressed his profound shock of a man being brutally assaulted that was captured on video and went viral on social media.
He wrote an open letter on Facebook imploring on Sendeza as well as Minister of Homeland Security, Ken Zikhale Ngoma and the Inspector General of Malawi Police Service, Marlyne Yolamu to identify and bring the culprits to book.
Young village folks masquerading as traditional Nyau dancers were captured brutally and despicably torturing an elderly citizen — accused of practising witchcraft by using his magical powers to influence that the rains should not come.
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This is a common belief by village folks that when rains delay, it’s the elderly people who influences through their alleged magic.
In his open letter to the security authorities, Chikoko emphasized that “Malawi is a society of equals and should therefore be a country and place where everyone must feel safe irrespective of age”.
He reminded the leaders of the three law enforcement offices that Malawi observed the International Day of Older Persons in Malawi on October 1 on which the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a report on Rule of Law and Human Rights.
The report noted that older persons comprise 2.7% of the total population of Malawi, but face human rights challenges such as discrimination, violence, neglect and verbal abuse.
“We must, with speed, ensure that persons who violate the rights of the elderly are not only held accountable but educated on the rights and dignity of the elderly persons,” he said.
He further applauded the government it is ensuring that older persons live with dignity by putting in place legislative instruments and protective mechanisms to safeguard the human rights of the elderly population — thus he fully supports the development of the Older Persons Bill and eagerly looking forward to its enforcement.
“We should never allow some lawless people to hide behind a socially and traditionally appreciated Nyau culture and put water on a flame of hope that the government of Malawi has ignited for the elderly population.
Of late, cases of brutal assault on the elderly people on unsubstantiated allegations of practising witchcraft are rampant and several people have observed that such acts are sanctioned by traditional chiefs — as also opined on the Nyau case.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
