Girls Empowerment Network (GENET) has called upon different players to join efforts in the fight against violence against girls and women.
The call was made on Friday at National Consultation on Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Lilongwe.
In an interview with Malawi24, Executive Director for GENET Faith Phiri said violence does not only affect girls and women but also families, communities as well as the society as such everyone should be part of the solution.
Phiri added that there is need to support girls to empower them to become independent and fearless. She added that organizations should also fight for justice for survivors of violence.
“We called different organizations here starting from the grassroots, District and National. The idea is to share experiences and encourage one another to have that mindset that they belong together and also to exchange knowledge and also to mentor and groom the upcoming feminists that will take this movement forward,” he explained.
In her remarks, Gender Activist Emma Kaliya said some forms of abuse such as sexual violence are perpetrated by relatives and some girls are facing violence because they don’t have a backup.
Kaliya went on to say that parents should stop encouraging violence against children but should be at the forefront reporting such cases.
One of the upcoming feminists, 20-year-old Linda Phiri who is Director of Girl Power commended GENET for organising the event saying she has learnt a lot which will assist her in her movement as far as empowering a girl child is concerned.
She then asked government and other well-wishers to assist her organization which started in 2017 and focuses on issues such as Sexual Reproductive Human Rights, Gender Based Violence, Peer Pressure, Girl Empowerment and Teen Pregnancies. According to Linda, the organization wants to reach out to many girls in Area 25 Lilongwe where it is located.
“We are a group of 75 people. We are failing to reach a lot of girls due to financial challenges. We don’t have any resources, an office,” she said.
