By Roselyn Phiri, MANA
Association of Women in Media (AWOME) on Tuesday stormed the streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre with a petition to demand the government to act on the increase cases on rape and defilement cases in Malawi.
The demonstrators
The march in Lilongwe started from Kamuzu Central Hospital Roundabout via Parliament Building to Civic Offices where the petition was delivered while the Blantyre one started from Ginnery Corner to the Civic Offices at Chichiri.
Among others, the women in media are demanding the government to put tougher punishments on perpetrators of sexual violence so that they should be given stiffer sentences up to life imprisonment as prescribed in the Penal Code.
Speaking before delivering the petition, AWOME-Lilongwe Chapter chairperson, Josephine Phumisa said recently, Malawi Girl Guide Association (MAGA) also marched against the same abuses and the media also organised the demonstration to end the cases.
“We have been writing stories for a long time but these cases are still rising so we are worried that is why we have taken it to the streets and hope that people will listen and they will act on our demands,” she said.
Phumisa if there will not be any action taken they will advocate in another form.
“We will revise some laws so that these perpetrators are getting stiffer sentences because we have noticed that some of the sentences these rapists are getting are not enough,” she said.
In an interview with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara said as a woman, she was concerned with the situation, saying it was not fair that young girls are being raped.
Speaker of Parliament
“There is need for harmonisation of the laws between the Child Justice and the Penal Code so that even those that do not report the incidences should also face the law.
“Because what happens sometimes is that these defilement cases we know are the ones that we managed to get information about, but others are not brought to the public,” she said.
The Speaker also explained that the laws are done by the Executive Arm of the Government which generates the bills so Parliament will give space and attention once the bills are brought to their attention.
“Parliament will make sure that such bills should come on the order paper as quickly as possible and so they will work on them,” she said.
Lilongwe City Mayor, Juliana Kaduya received the petition on behalf the Ministry of Gender and said she would deliver the petition to the minister responsible who will work on it to ensure rape and defilement cases are dealt with.
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