Chairperson of Communication Research and Social Welfare at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Bishop Montfort Stima has urged catholic journalists in the country to research on why there so many cases of defilement and Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases in this country.
He made the appeal Saturday during the opening of the Mental Health and GBV workshop for the Catholic Journalists at Bishop Nervi Centre in Lilongwe.
“It’s sad to hear such cases of GBV and defilement every day on radio, newspapers and televisions. We are not happy as a church and that is why we are asking journalists to help us to find answers to this problem,” the Bishop said.
Stima said that defilement and rape cases are worsening now and different organizations have condemned this but it was like you are telling the rapist to continue doing the act.
“My plea to the government is that they should amend the laws that no one will think of raping our women and girls,” he appealed.
The Bishop added that they are more to be done to make sure that we bring to the end of these malpractices.
“We have to look into our culture practice that we have for example during wedding ceremonies people use to sing a song “kapilire komwe unka iweko”.
“That song put more powers to men to harm their wife and that contribute a lot for girls and women to look inferior to men,” Stima viewed.
He urged journalists to write more stories that would help people to change their mind set on women and girls to know the effects of rape and report any cases to the police and chief in their area.
The Workshop attracted 50 journalists from various Media houses with the fund from Atrocare
Mana
