District Gender Officer in Zomba, Ruperth Kasendero, says cash transfer has become another factor that has fueled Gender-Based Violence when women are the sole beneficiaries.
He said this as he presented the Dissemination of SP – GEAR Gender Analysis Findings to organisations and government sectors.
His office added that the Social Welfare Office in Zomba and the Community Development Office are implementing Social Protection Gender Empowerment (SP-GEAR) with funding from the European Union, the Government of Ireland and through UNICEF to deal with gender-related gaps so that social protection programmes should benefit men, children and women equally.
He said the findings revealed that men are sidelined when it comes to deciding on money received from the Social Cash Transfer Programme, especially in patrimonial types of marriages.
The findings also revealed that the elderly are denied custody of cash they receive through the programme.
He said most men commit suicide when they encounter GBV because they suffer in silence as they fail to open up to their peers.
“The research was done in Zomba and revealed that men are not part of decision-making when it comes to money received through the Social Cash Transfer Programme as long as the marriage is paternal,” he said.
Community Policing Coordinator in Zomba, who is also an Assistant Superintendent, Naison Chibondo, observed that most men suffer in silence as they don’t report GBV to relevant authorities.
He also noted that most people are not aware of laws that deal with GBV, saying there is a need to raise awareness of laws that deal with the vice.
MANASO, Bwalo initiative, Her Liberty, Joyce Banda Foundation, Partners ln Action for Sustainable Development, Oxfam, Maternity Worldwide, District Youth Officer, Malawi Prison Services and Malawi Police Service were some of those the non-state actors and government sectors that attended the research findings dissemination meeting.
