From Area 25 to Area 24: Malawi women still harassing each other

A Non-Government Organisation called Family Rights, Elderly and Child Protection (FRECHIP) has condemned violence against a woman that happened recently at Area 24 in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe.

Women in Area 24 assaulted and stripped a fellow women of her clothes because one of the women’s husband picked the victim in his car. A video of the assault has been circulating on social media.

In a press statement issued by the organisation and signed by its Executive Director Esmie Tembenu, FRECHIP says women must know that when they strip a fellow woman, they are somehow stripping themselves since women are biologically made in a similar way.

“Secondly you are discrediting your husband instead of protecting him. We are further advising married women to be protecting, upholding and defending their families when they suspect something bad from their husbands.

“Married women must further sort out their marital problems in a decent and orderly manner,” reads the statement.

FRECHIP has advised women in the statement to be finding better ways of solving such issues rather than violating other women’s rights.

The organisation says when a woman suspects a husband of messing out with another woman, she must have proper procedures of disciplining him rather than taking action which will bring a negative impact on them.

“We are further worried about the protection of children who see their mothers through social media being stripped like that and also the protection of children whose mothers behave like wild animals in this case, just because a dad offered a lift to the victim in his car.

“The barbaric way in which these women acted towards a fellow woman is condemned in its strongest terms. The law educates us not to be taking the law into our own hands. That is the reason why the Malawi Government established law enforcement offices like the police, Ombudsman, courts, human rights organizations etc where these women could have lodged their complaints and be assisted than taking the law into their hands,” reads the statement.

FRECHIP adds that striping or assaulting and insulting a woman suspected of messing around with a husband is not the best way of strengthening marital relationships.

“There are marriage advocates and other elderly people like faith leaders, chiefs etc who can discipline a cheating husband,” adds the statement.

The incident in Area 24 came days after some women at Area 25 in the same city urinated on and assaulted a fellow woman after accusing her of exposing one of the women’s HIV status.