The Ministry of Labour has emphasised the urgent need for vigilance in combatting sexual abuse against women and girls in workplaces to align with Convention 190 of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Line Minister, Agnes Nyalonje, conveyed the message during a sensitisation meeting held in Salima, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, and the Employers Consultative Association.
Nyalonje underscored the importance of enacting remedial laws to address the rampant infringement of women’s rights in the workplace.
The call to action comes in response to alarming statistics unveiled during the meeting, revealing the distressing prevalence of female harassment within professional environments.
The national gender audit conducted in 2023, the report revealed that 37 percent of women in Malawi are subjected to gender-based violence.
Aisha Adams, the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, echoed the gravity of the situation and emphasized the necessity of passing robust legislation to safeguard women in the workplace.
Adams stressed, “The problem is significant; hence, enacting laws to protect women is not a legal obligation only but a moral imperative.”
Adding an international perspective to the discourse, Valentine Beghini, a Legal Expert from the International Labour Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, urged women to report incidents of sexual abuse while highlighting the essential need to transform societal mindsets regarding the treatment of women.
“There is also a need to change men’s mindset to start respecting women,” remarked Beghini.
Reported by Isaac Jali.
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