A member of the Kawanga Beach Village Committee (BVC) in Nkhata Bay, Susan Maluwa, has raised concerns about the scarcity of fish leading to women engaged in fish trading being exploited by fishermen demanding sexual favors in exchange for fish sales.
Maluwa shared this information on Wednesday during a four-day Media Fisheries Training organized by PACT-Malawi, where journalists from various media houses interacted with Kawanga BVC members in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Fukamalaza in Nkhata Bay.
“Business has significantly slowed down due to the diminishing fish supply and increasing demand for the product. This situation is adversely impacting the livelihoods of many women in the fish business.
“In some cases, women who reject sexual advances from fishermen in return for priority access to fish catch face difficulties in purchasing fish as they are often denied, leading some women to leave the business,” Maluwa explained.
She noted that many women experiencing such abuse do not report it due to a lack of knowledge on where to seek help. Salim M’balaka, the Principal Fisheries Officer responsible for research at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, pointed out that the Department of Fisheries considers “sex for fish” as a form of gender-based violence (GBV).
“As a department, we are working with the Ministry of Health to address this issue through awareness campaigns aimed at educating communities about the risks associated with this practice and ensuring their protection,” M’balaka said.
M’balaka stressed that, although steps are being taken to tackle the issue of sex-for-fish, various obstacles must be addressed.
One key challenge is the economic insecurity experienced by women as they strive to obtain fish for their livelihoods.
The Malawi Gender Equality Act of 2013 prohibits sexual harassment, carrying a penalty of approximately $1,000 and a five-year prison sentence.
In 2017, the government endorsed an updated edition of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy to address certain gender-related issues impacting the fishing industry.
By George Mponda
