Eastern Region Commissioner of Police, Chikondi Chingadza, said police Public Relations Officers need to disseminate to the media and the rural population well-articulated information regarding sexual and gender-based violence (GBV).
Chingadza made the call at Police College in Zomba at the opening of four days of training for police stations across the country with police Public Relations Officers.
The workshop, which is being funded by the European Union (EU) under the Chilungamo Program, is held under the theme of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
She said domestic and workplace sexual and GBV needs to be made public for people to appreciate its gravity, negative impact and where to report such incidents.
Chingadza, therefore, hailed the EU for providing financial support for the training workshop, which is meant to build the capacity of the female police PROs in information dissemination regarding sex and GBV.
“The public relations officers are like a bridge such that the training is relevant to their role in relaying public information on sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.
A representative from the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Goodson Jumbe said the training workshop for the police PROs was ideal as this is meant to build their capacity on issues to do with sexual and GBV.
He said PROs need to exercise professional ethics when disseminating issues to do with sexual and GBV considering that victims of sexual and GBV deserve protection from stigma and public discrimination.
Deputy PRO for Kanengo Police in Lilongwe, Sergeant Linly Mwale said the training was an ideal and a refresher among police PROs.
She added that the training was a relevant capacity builder for the police PROs, considering that there is a need to balance public relations with communication and media ethics when dealing with sexual and GBV issues.
On behalf of fellow participants, Mwale thanked the Malawi Police Service for organizing the training, pledging that the trained police PROs will continue providing information to the public with professionalism.
