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Malawi

United Nations in Malawi calls for renewed, concerted action to eliminate harmful cultural practices affecting women and girls

Monday, 25th July 2016

Lilongwe – The UN in Malawi deplores in the strongest terms, the practice of ritual cleansing ceremonies involving sex with young girls that continue to occur in different communities across Malawi and as recently reported from Nsanje District.

These practices are a violation of the rights of the girl child with immediate and long term psycho-social, physical, biological and health impacts. They directly lead to the high teenage pregnancies, early marriages, school dropouts and increased risk to HIV.

In Malawi, 59% of all girls give birth by the age 19 and these practices are also linked to disproportionate rates of HIV infection for young girls estimated at 3.17 % as against 1.8% among boys aged 15 to 24 years. The world acclaimed advances on HIV and AIDS are undermined if adolescent girls are forced to have sex with older men who may be HIV positive despite them being born HIV negative due to option B+ programme.

The laws of Malawi criminalise sex with minors. According to the Penal Code Amendment Act 2009 “Any person who unlawfully and carnally knows any girl under the age of sixteen years shall be guilty of a felony and shall be liable to imprisonment for life”. Additionally, harmful practices are also criminalised under the Gender Equality Act and the Child Care, Justice and Protection Act. It is therefore of grave concern that these practices are continuing with knowledge of local authorities and perpetrators are not prosecuted due to limited enforcement of the existing laws by the authorities.

The UN in Malawi underlines the need for a holistic framework to address harmful cultural practices, in line with the CEDAW General Recommendation 31 on harmful practices, including data collection and monitoring, legislation and enforcement, prevention of harmful practices, protective measures and responsive services.

We acknowledge that prevention of these harmful cultural practices requires a rights-based approach to changing social and cultural norms, empowering women and girls, building the capacity of all relevant professionals who are in regular contact with victims, potential victims and perpetrators at all levels and raising awareness of the causes and consequences. In addition, Traditional leaders play a key role and should be held accountable for failing to take action to stop harmful cultural practices.

The UN in Malawi recalls the UN CEDAW Committee 2015 recommendation to Malawi, urging ”the State party to effectively implement the existing legal provisions prohibiting harmful practices, ensuring that all harmful practices… are investigated and perpetrators are adequately punished and that victims of harmful practices have access to effective remedies and adequate protection mechanisms”.

The UN in Malawi will continue to support a range of interventions including awareness raising and training of relevant stakeholders, dissemination, implementation and enforcement of relevant legislation, interventions to keep girls in school and ensure girls enjoy full sexual and reproductive health rights.

We also call upon authorities to take decisive action against perpetrators of harmful cultural practices through prosecuting cases using existing legal provisions. The UN in Malawi stands ready to fully support the Government of Malawi in taking forward a holistic framework of interventions aimed at eliminating such harmful cultural practices. Every girl, no matter where she is born, should have an opportunity to reach her potential.

Enquiries: Chikondi Lunduka on +265 999 750 573 or chikondi.lunduka@one.un.org.