The Roman Catholic Church has closed Ludzi Boys Catholic Primary School in Mchinji over sexual abuse cases among students.
Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has confirmed the closure of the school in an interview with the local media.
He did not describe in detail what was happening but said there were investigations which have revealed that students were sexually abused by fellow students. Tambala described the sexual abuse as both a violation of rights and sin.
He added that the church needs to take such allegations seriously and avoid covering them up. He further said that witnesses need to be encouraged to step forward.
Archbishop Tambala, who is also the president of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), further stated that his office is committed to zero tolerance against any forms of sexual abuse including that of children, even among children themselves.
The school in Mchinji has learners from Standard three to eight and those in Standard 3, 4 and 5 learners have been told to leave campus immediately.
Follow us on Twitter:
