The Government has expressed shock over reports that police officers raped women and teenage girls at Msundwe and two other trading centres in Lilongwe.
In a statement released yesterday, the government through the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare said the reports are horrifying.
“The Ministry is deeply concerned by these serious allegations that border on disregard for women’s rights an exploitation of their vulnerability,” the gender ministry said in the statement.
It added that it is working with other key institutions to ensure that the allegations are investigated to their logical conclusions.
The statement, however, did not mention the institutions the ministry is working with but on Wednesday afternoon the police said they had instituted an inquiry to identify the suspects.
According to the NGO Gender Coordination Network, the rape and torture of women and girls at Msundwe, M’bwatalika and Mpingu trading centres was perpetrated by police officers deployed to the areas earlier this month.
The officers’ mission was to arrest people who blocked the Mchinji-Lilongwe road on 8 October, an incident which led to the death of a police officer.
During the operation, police officers raped and sexually abused women and self-boarding girl students. They also tortured people and looted shops.
Kuseka kwa Songwe border kwa anthu aku Karonga ndi chitipa
Anthu a ku Karonga ndi ku Chitipa, bomali limakudelerani kwambiri. Ndithu kukumenyerani ndi kukupherani anthu anu osalakwa. Anthu inu mwavutika zedi ndi bomali. Ndalama zamisonkho zomwe boma likutolera ku songwe ndithu kumakatukulira kwawo kwa alomwe. Ndalama zamisonkhozo bwenzi akutukulira karonga. Mwayiwala kuti Bingu ndi DPP anati azamanga university ku karonga, yilikuti? Misonkho ndi ma pulofiti ya mugodi wa Kayelekera anamangira zitukuko kwawo, amangoti hi anthu ogotomala aku Karonga ndi Chitipa. Mnseu wa Karonga – Chitipa nawonso wosalimba. Sunachedwe kukumbika. Anangoti ti apake phula anthu opusawa. Angoni akuMzimba nawonso awanamiza kumanga Mombera university. Alomwe amangoti tikawapasa Kandalama kochepa mafumu akumpoto basi sachedwa kugulika. Dyera mafumu akumpoto.
Inu anthu akuKaronga ndi Chitipa bomali simakuwerengani ngati aMalawi. Nchifukwa chake amakumanani zitukuko.
Tawawonetseni kuti ndinunso anthu. Mukafuna kuti apolisi ndi MDF azalephere kukhuphani panthawi ya ziwonesero zoseka Songwe border, mungogwirizana nonse kuyambira ku songwe mpaka karonga boma, kuchokanso karonga boma mpaka muchiweta, ndi kuchokanso kukaronga mpaka kuchitipa kuti muzagweseremo mitengo kapena miyala kuti magalimoto azalephere kudutsa. Mukatero ndikuti mwaseka songwe border, ngakhale musazapite ku Songweko. Zimenezi ndi zomwe anachita makolo anu nthawi ya state of emergency pomwe amalimbana ndi atsamunda kapena azungu. Makolo anu anakumba mabwalo andege, misewu, ndikugweseramo zimitengo ndi miyala ndipo aboma anagonja.
Panthawiyo makolo ambiri alomwe anali phe akuthyola tiyi kapena kugwira ntchito yo thirira maluwa kwa mzungu. Koma lero akudyelera dziko ndi alomwe omwe makolo awo sanamenyere nkhondo. Akukudyerani masuku pamutu.
Nanga ntchito amalembana pachibale lero ndizimenezotu a police akwata tiwana fuck this this government