GVT CALLED TO ACT ON SRGBV

By Kenson McCloud

Government has been called to adopt education policies aimed at reducing school-related gender based violence.

This comes at a time when different stakeholders are leaving no stone unturned to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

Her Liberty Organisation says most school related gender based violence goes unreported as there is lack of safe and secure avenues to report abuse and get rapid response.

In an interview with Timveni,  Executive Director of the organization Tikhale Itaye pointed out prime perpetrators are either teachers or students themselves and often times go unpunished.

According to Itaye, huge knowledge gap among communities on existence of GBV service platforms with 31% of girls and women kept in the dark puts survivors in a position of not being able to seek assistance.

Her-Liberty organisation demands the Ministry of Education, school administrators and education unions to adopt school codes of conduct and training to address school related gender based violence.

Itaye has also called for mindset change among the male constituency to see women and girls as development partners and not sex objects.

The organisation has since held advocacy activities in Nkhatabay, Lilongwe, Machinga and Mchinji districts.