November 7, 2020, Blantyre - Hundreds of women journalists have gathered in rallies to denounce misogyny, extending solidarity to victims of sexual harassment and assault in Malawi. Female journalists have called for stringent measures against sexual offenders. The Coalition For Women In Journalism applauds these gestures of unity and supports the demands made by women journalists across Malawi. 

Edith Kambalame, Chairperson for The Association of Women in Media (AWOME), who led the rally in Blantyre said “As journalists, we are saying we’ve been reporting on issues of rape and defilement for long, long time, but we are seeing little impact on the ground," 

Kambalame continued "We are acknowledging the effort the police are putting in place, the courts, and we also know that there are laws in place, but we believe that if these issues are continuing, then probably they [laws] are not stringent enough.”

Mentioning that current measures are not enough of a deterrent, Kambalame expressed the persistent threat of sexual violence for women, demanding lasting solutions from policy makers. 

Another rally was held in Lilongwe to raise awareness for the dangers of sexual harassment in Malawi. Women journalists have started a petition to the Ministry of Gender to ensure that there are strict punishments for rape convicts, in order to protect girls. These rallies come after recent cases, in order to draw attention to ongoing issue of sexual violence in Malawi.

In the past week, a 60 year old man was taken into police custody for raping three children, aged seven and eight, in Nkhotakota. On October 21, 2020, a 38 year old man was arrested for raping an 11-year-old child in Chikwawa.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands with the demands of women journalists for fair and timely investigations against sexual predators. We demand that clear policies and protocols are put in place to address the complaints of women journalists and protect them in the media and its institutions.