People from different Traditional Authorities in Phalombe have been taught on issues of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in order to curb cases of GBV in the district.
These orientation programmes were organised by Phalombe Youth Arms of Organisation (PYAO) through different stakeholders in the district such as social welfare, police, judiciary and labour.
Programmes Manager for PYAO, Stanford Chidule, said his organisation believes that the program has equipped communities with knowledge about sexual and reproductive health rights in relation to GBV.
“We believe that all the communities where we have been with these activities have benefited much as now they know how issues of SRHR and GBV are affecting them and it is our hope that cases of violence against women and girls will be reduced.
“You have heard it yourself how we are doing as the district on issues of GBV from our friends from the police, judiciary and social welfare. This is why we thought of having this activity so that people should be aware of dangers of GBV,” he said.
During the campaign at Jenala ground, traditional authority of the area said cases of violence are rampant in his area and that most times he refers the cases to other authorities in the area so that they should be dealt with.
First Grade Magistrate Damson Banda who is also chairperson for a technical working group in the district said children below the marriage age should not be allowed or forced to get married.
“For those who know why they got married they live happier and they always have better marriages other than those that marry because they saw their friends getting married.
“Please parents don’t allow your children get married while they have not reached the recommended age, please follow what our laws say and if you don’t you shall face the law,” Banda was quoted saying at Nkhulambe.
Apart from Nkhulambe and Jenala, the awareness has also been done in area of traditional authorities of Kaledzera and Kaduya where target groups were youth clubs, traditional leaders and community victim support unit committees among others.
The awareness campaigns are among other activities under leveraging positive action towards violence against women and girls project which is being funded by ViiV Health Care which PYAO is implementing in the district.
