GBV cases in Machinga on the decline
Cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in Machinga are on the decline thanks to interventions by non-governmental organisations in the district.
Youth Response for Social Change (YRSC) with funding from Southern African Aids Trust (SAT) is implementing a project called Big Five Interventions for Adolescents and Young People in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mchinguza in Machinga.
The project is aimed at empowering the youth to have easy access to health services as one way of demanding sexual reproductive and health rights.
In an interview on Monday at Nayuchi during a media tour, one of the women from Chakhame Village in the area, Victoria Tewesa, expressed delight with the decline of GBV cases.
“This area used to be a bedrock of GBV cases. Marriages could be blessed today but tomorrow you would be surprised to see couples disband.
“This was bad because it was bringing untold problems to our children and also risked us from sexually transmitted infections including HIV and Aids,” she explained.
Tewesa said she has seen a number of women being abused by their husbands on accusations of infidelity.
“We were in trouble because even when encountering such a barrage of scorn, we could hardly report to relevant authorities for action,” she said.
YRSC programme manager Hidjil Kalinde said they are eager to enhance efforts to ensure that the area has vibrant young women to contribute to its development. n
