Ombudsman Martha Chizuma says the country has a huge problem when it comes to putting into practice legal frameworks related to gender based violence which gives a chance for perpetrators of rape to get away.
These remarks were addressed by Ombudsman Martha Chizuma at the launch of a Community Practice of Violence against Women and Girls Prevention and Response by Tithetse Nkhanza Program in Lilongwe on Monday. 
The program is a mechanism where different stakeholders come together and get into processes of knowledge consolidation, sharing and research.
Speaking with reporters, Chizuma said some of the perpetrators who are behind bars for the offences of rape are minors who don’t deserve to be rotting in jail while the main suspects are walking freely.
She added that it looks like dynamics are changing as such there is a need to be smarter when dealing with gender based violence.
“The issue is not changing our laws, policies, structures but it’s rather bringing together stakeholders such as government, organizations and stick to the agreed objectives because the cases of gender based violence are being conducted due to impunity because no one is held accountable more especially men. Poverty is also another factor that is contributing to the increase of these cases,” she explained
On her take, Team Leader for Tithetse Nkhanza program Grace Tikambenji Malera said the implementation of the program will assist in the fight against gender based violence which is rampant in the country.
Malera, however, asked girls and women to avoid normalizing violence’s that they are facing in their families but to report to structures like police, organizations and court and put to an end issues of violence.
Malawi set aside 16 days of activism against gender based violence from 25 November to 10 December.
