Gender-based Violence in Malawi

Having experienced the violence young women are subjected to first-hand in Malawi, Abikanile, 17, is passionate about speaking up for girls’ rights – and she’s not afraid to let the world know what it’s like to be a young woman in her country.

“I was nearly raped by seven boys after I finished playing netball,” reveals 17-year-old Abikanile from Malawi. “Thankfully, I escaped as I used the self-defense moves I learned from my Girl Guides Club.”

Sexual violence is a major issue in Malawi, particularly for young women. “I am not the only one who was nearly raped,” says Abikanile. “We hear of so many girls being raped by their fathers, cousins, and other men, only to discover that the police didn’t do anything about it when it was reported.”Læs mere her!

Learn Without Fear: Sexual violence

The World Health Organization estimates that 150,000,000 girls and 73,000,000 boys have been raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence. But there are no reliable estimates of how much of this abuse takes place in schools.

However, we do know that sexual violence is usually carried out by people known to the child and that school-based sexual abuse is a major problem in many countries.

Girls are at greater risk of sexual violence at school, sometimes directed at them by both male teachers and students. Studies in Africa and Latin America have found that some girls are coerced into sexual acts by teachers who threaten them with poor grades if they do not cooperate.

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