This presentation describes Gender-Based Violence in Malawi. Its includes the strengths and challenges of the interventions on the ground.

1. Gender Based Violence
By
Charles Mhango
MSc.RH Student, BSc.NM

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Magnitude
 Review of interventions
 Strengths and challenges
 Identified gaps
 Recommendations
 Role of advanced practice nurse

3. Introduction
 Gender-based violence (GBV) is a problem
affecting both males and females
 Women and girls are more affected due to
unequal power distribution (Bloom, 2008)
 Main forms of GBV are:
 Physical violence
 Sexual violence
 Psychological violence

4. Introduction
 Family members are most common perpetrator
(Heise, 2011)
 GBV can be categorised according to
perpetrators
 Intimate partner violence (IPV)
 Most common form among women (Bloom, 2008)
 Non-intimate partner violence

5. Magnitude of GBV

6. Magnitude of
GBV
 In Malawi, reporting of GBV is
highly affected by
 fear of shaming one’s family
 lack of knowledge
 custom and tradition
 fear of losing one’s job
 being regarded as a prostitute
(NSO et al., 2012)
 bribery
 ‘it's not my business' attitude
(Salephera Consulting Ltd & PHCS, 2013)
• Accurate estimation
of GBV is difficult
due to
underreporting of
cases by victims
• Why do people not
report GBV cases?

7. Magnitude
Type of GBV Prevalence Males Females
Sexual violence 35.4 39.2 60.8
Physical violence 24.6 35.7 64.2
Psycho-social violence 42.9 45.6 54.4
• Globally most studies have focused on IPV
than GBV in general
• In Malawi, a baseline survey on GBV found the
following:
(NSO, UNFPA & UN Women, 2012)

8. Intimate Partner Violence
 Estimates of physical and/or sexual IPV among
ever-partnered women;
 30% globally
 36.6% in Africa (WHO, 2013)
 However, it may vary from country to country
 Range from 15 to 71 percent (Ellsberg et al.,
2008)

9. Intimate Partner Violence
 In South Africa, 29.3% of women and 20.9% of
men experienced IPV within their most recent
marriage or intimate partnership (Gass et al.,
2011)
 Gass et al. further found that 25.2% of women
perpetrated violence against their most recent
spouse or partner

10. Intimate Partner Violence
In Malawi;
 A nationally represented survey found that the
prevalence of IPV among women included;
 Psychological violence (13 percent)
 Physical violence (20 percent)
 Severe physical violence (3 percent)
 Sexual violence (13 percent)
(Bazargan-Heazi, Medeiros, Mohammadi, Lin, & Dalal, 2013).

11. Intimate Partner Violence
 48% and 20% of physical violence and 36%
and 14% of sexual violence experienced by
women is perpetrated by current
husband/partner or former husband/partner
respectively (MDHS 2010)
 85% and 25% of marital rape is perpetrated by
male and female partners respectively (NSO et
al., 2012)

12. Intimate Partner Violence
 In Balaka district, a study on couples found that
21.5% and 6% of women versus 11.6% and
1.9% of males experienced sexual and physical
IPV respectively (Conroy, 2014)

13. Non-partner violence
 No global or regional estimates comprising of
all forms of non-partner violence
 Less prevalent than IPV
 7.2% globally
 11.9% in Africa
 Africa ranks second from High-income region
(12.6 percent)
(WHO, 2013)

14. Non-partner violence
 Common perpetrators in Malawi include;
 Brother (10.2%)
 Father or step-father (3%)
 Teacher (1.4%)
 Employer or workmate (0.2%)
(MDHS, 2010)
 Others include; male/female stranger,
father/mother in-law and male/female
neighbour (NSO et al., 2012)

15. Risk Factors to GBV
 Cohabitation
 Childhood physical
abuse
 Witnessing parental
violence
 Alcohol abuse
 Low income
 Low educational
attainment
 Attitudes supportive of
wife beating
 Having outside sexual
partners
 Some cultural beliefs
and practices
 Young age
 Being female

16. Review of interventions

17. International, continental and regional
instruments
 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979)
 Malawi joined 1987
 The Protocol to the African Charter on Human
and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in
Africa (1995)
 The SADC Protocol on Gender and
Development (2008)

18. Formulation of laws
Gender Equality Act
(2013)
 Addresses legislation
on;
 gender equality
 sex discrimination
 sexual harassment
Prevention of Domestic
Violence Act (2006)
 Aims at preventing
domestic violence, and
protect persons affected
by domestic violence
including women and
children

19. Formulation of laws
The Dowry Prohibition
Act (1980)
 The Act provides for
punishment for
giving, taking or
abetting the giving
or taking of dowry
Deceased Estates (Wills,
Inheritance and Protection) Act
(2011)
 Unlike the Wills and Inheritance
Act which emphasised on
customary heirs, this Act
recognises and uplifts women in
the society by increasing their
say in the distribution of
deceased property

20. The Constitution of Malawi
 Embraces the principle of equality
 Section 13(a) provides for gender equality
 Section 20 addresses discrimination based on
gender
 Section 24(1), specifically provides right to full
and equal protection by the law and the right
not to be discriminated against on the basis of
gender and marital status
(“Malawi Const.,” 2006).

21. Strengths on formulation of laws
 Enactment of laws that address GBV in
addition to the Constitution
 Training of law enforcers in gender related laws
 120 prosecutors, magistrates and social workers
trained in gender related laws in 2012 (UPR Info,
2013)
 Availability of a teaching guide for primary and
secondary schools on Gender Equality Act

22. Challenges on formulation of laws
 Lack of awareness of the existing laws
 Where legislation exist, public awareness of the
law and the rights attached to it is low (IPPF,
2006)
 Poor access to the legal system
 Unavailability of National Gender Policy
 The policy is necessary to guide programmes
and practice

23. Challenges on formulation of laws
 The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act only
applies to married women, former spouses and
cohabitating partners and does not protect
unmarried girls or sex workers or (IPPF, 2006)
 Existence of other laws which discriminate
women
 E.g. loss of citizenship by women due to
marriage under Section 9 of the Citizenship Act

24. Grass-root level interventions

25. Tithandizane National Helpline
 Has a toll free helpline accessible on TNM and
MTL
 Services offered include telephone counselling,
referrals, counselling for walk-in clients, follow-
up of cases of violence and temporary
accommodation for victims
 Also provide information on SRHR, sexuality
and relationships, HIV and AIDS, human rights
and child abuse

26. One-Stop Centres (OSCs)
 Located within a health facility with linkages to
other services based outside the facility
 Provide comprehensive integrated services
including health, social welfare and police
services to victims violence
 This reduces secondary victimisation
 By 2013, Malawi had established 20 OSCs with
only 4 in operation (UN, 2014; UPR Info, 2013)

27. MenEngage by MEGEN Malawi
 MEGEN-Malawi works in 18 districts of Malawi
 Has sister networks in Kenya, Zambia,
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Namibia,
Mozambique, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
DRC, Tanzania and Angola
 Works with men to engage with fellow man

28. MenEngage by MEGEN Malawi
 Its efforts focus on prevention and response to
GBV and the spread of HIV and AIDS that
arises from unequal power relations
 Promotes women’s participation in public and
political spheres
 It also educates men about HIV and AIDS and
the concept of negotiation within sexual
relationships

29. Victim Support Units (VSUs)
 Attached to most police stations
 Provide counselling, legal advice, assistance in
prosecutions and sometimes food and
temporary accommodation
 By 2013, Malawi had VSUs in 34 police
stations, 13 police posts

30. GEWE Programme
 Being implemented by the Ministry of Gender
 Aims at achieving gender equality in accessing
productive resources and development
opportunities

31. Strengths on grass-root level
interventions
 Availability of services
 Service integration
 Male involvement
 Multi-sectoral approach
 Availability of guidelines for the provision of
services at OSCs

32. Challenges on grass-root level
interventions
 Poor publicity of the services
 Lack of resources
 Shortage of staff
 Tithandizane Helpline services are available only to
TNM and MTL network subscribers
 Low prosecution rate
 Only 30 percent of cases of violence reported are
prosecuted (UN, 2014)

33. Gaps identified
 Lack of public awareness of laws and services
 Little or no interventions focusing on GBV
against men
 Lack GBV data information systems
 Gaps in policies e.g. GBV at workplace

34. Recommendations for
improvement

35. Recommendations
 Increase public awareness of the existing laws,
services and programmes on GBV
 Design programmes that address GBV
affecting both men and women
 Scale up male involvement in GBV
 Train more personnel in victim support
 Promote collaboration among different
stakeholders

36. Use of evidence-based/best practices
 The Duluth Model (Used in USA)
 Ensures a comprehensive response to violence
by increasing collaboration between police, the
courts, health care organizations, social
services, schools, religious institutions among
others as the situation dictates
 May be used to improve OSCs

37. Use of evidence-based/best practices
 Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and
Gender Equity (IMAGE) model (Used in RSA)
 Links Microfinance loan companies and gender
institutions
 Oxfam criteria and indicators to assess impact
on gender equality
 A tool used by Oxfam to measure the impact of
gender mainstreaming activities on gender
equality among those intended to benefit

38. Use of evidence-based/best practices
 Gender Based Violence Information
Management System (GBVIMS)
 Used in developed countries for data collection,
statistical analysis and data sharing

39. Role of advanced practice
nurse

40. Advocacy
 Advocate for policies that support and promote
gender equality and aim at eradicating GBV
 Lobby for inclusion of gender and GBV related
topics in primary and secondary school
curricular

41. Research
 Situation analysis on GBV
 Effectiveness of interventions and how best
they can be improved

42. Education
 Facilitate education of people at all levels on
issues of GBV
 This would be achieved through
 Presenting at conferences
 Community awareness campaigns
 Talks in health facilities and other groupings

43. Management
 Design programmes aimed at reducing GBV
 Help establish services that deal with GBV e.g.
OSCs
 Ensure availability of competent staff oriented in
GBV and victim support

44. Collaboration
 Promote collaboration among stakeholders
including community members
 This help prevent duplication of activities and
promote effective use of resources

45. Reference
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50. Stop Gender Based Violence!!!