By Burnett Munthali
Concerned Youth Organisation (CYO) has rescued 147 girls under the age of 16 from early child marriages in Senior Chief M’duwa’s area in Mchinji District.
Selina Sitima, a volunteer from M’duwa CYO Community Action Group (CAG), revealed to Times 360 that the project has significantly improved the reporting of gender-based violence (GBV) since its inception.
“There has been remarkable progress in how cases of GBV are being reported, but the absence of a police unit in the area remains a challenge,” Sitima said. She added that this gap has created an environment conducive to human trafficking, citing a recent failure by the police to rescue 12 children trafficked to Mozambique.
Group Village Headman M’duwa expressed frustration over the delay in reopening the newly constructed police post, which he believes is essential for combating crimes like human trafficking and GBV.
Mchinji police spokesperson Limbani Mpinganjira assured residents that the police unit will soon begin operations, promising to strengthen security in the area.
The rescues are part of CYO’s year-long Reducing Poverty and Inequality project, funded by Irish Aid, Oxfam, and Ireland. The initiative focuses on gender justice and aims to address social challenges in Traditional Authority Mkanda and Senior Chief M’duwa’s areas.
The organisation continues to advocate for improved systems to protect vulnerable children and combat gender-related injustices.
