By Chisomo Kambandanga
Nkhata Bay, August 10, Mana: National Director for Malawi Human Rights Youth Network, Weston Msowoya has commended Nkhata Bay District Council for tackling harmful cultural practices that perpetrate Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women and girls in the district.
Speaking in Nkhata Bay on Wednesday during a Spotlight Initiative Project exit meeting, he said it was encouraging to note that harmful cultural practices arebeing eradicated and local structures capacitated to own interventions that have been happening under the project.
Msowoya said that, "The way local structures have been revamped and strengthened, the platforms women and girls have been provided with to voice their issues and the knowledge they have been given to be part of decision makers on when to get married could never be overemphasized.
“I urge the council and all its stakeholders to build on this and continue fighting GBV in areas where there are gaps," he said.
United Nation Development Programmes (UNDP) Focal Person for Spotlight Initiative, Juliet Sibale said formulation of community GBV technical working groups using local resources was an amazing observation in Nkhata Bay.
She disclosed that UNDP and other stakeholders are developing a proposal for a follow up project considering that Spotlight Initiative was a pilot project.
"As the project is phasing out, all councils and local communities are being encouraged to follow strategic ways they have put in place for sustainability and make their communities a level playing ground for everyone," Sibale added.
District Commissioner (DC) for Nkhata Bay, Rogers Newa said the council would continue encouraging coordination among all stakeholders, adding that GBV issues would be among priorities in the council’s work plans.
Spotlight Initiative Project was aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls and was being implemented in six districts in the country namely, Mzimba, Nkhata Bay, Dowa, Ntchisi, Nsanje and Machinga with funding from European Union (EU).
