Reporters By Catherine Tembo:
Linda Edward, a 21-year-old woman from Village Chabuka, Traditional Authority Kalumo, has faced significant challenges in her life. Married at 18, she now has one child. Her early marriage in 2023 was a result of poverty.
She got married in 2023 running away from an abusive home from her step mother. Her father, stays at Kwamtema, from Traditional Authority Malenga, in Ntchisi, remarried, and Linda’s stepfamily consists of three children.
Unfortunately, Linda’s marriage has been marked by gender-based violence.
Her husband has beaten her and left her without food for three days, leading her to consider suicide on several occasions.
“I’m trapped in a cycle of pain and fear, unsure of how to escape” Linda narrated while crying.
Despite her struggles, Linda is afraid to return to her home village, feeling that she is not fully independent.
” The scars of gender based violence run deep, my husband beats me, sometimes I sleep outside the house with my child demanding me to return home but the challenge is that I am not independent,”She laments.
This fear has left her uncertain about her future.
Ntchisi District has registered 4,975 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in 2024, compared to 3,309 cases in 2023, representing a 33.5% increase.
District Gender Officer Chikondi Machero laments that this situation is worrisome, with most victims being young girls.
“We join efforts to increase awareness and interventions by key players, including the Chiefs’ Forum and political leadership from legislators and ward councilors,” Machero explains.
Denis Sikwese, Senior Assistant Social Welfare Officer for Ntchisi, attributes the rise in GBV cases to peer pressure, poverty, and other factors.
He said the social welfare department is working to protect the rights of girl children and provide support services.
“If she is willing to come out of the marriage, our department can help her connect with organizations like TIVETA that provide skills training for young people to become self-independent,” Sikwese says.
Child rights activist Amos Chibwana emphasizes the need for people to report cases of abuse to relevant authorities and for courts to expedite cases and give stiffer punishments to perpetrators.
“We need to change our mindset that violence is the solution to resolving differences,” Chibwana says.
Linda’s story highlights the urgent need for collective action to protect girls’ and women’s rights.
Addressing the root causes of GBV and providing support services are crucial to preventing further cases.
Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to creating a safer environment for girls and women.
