Utale is among the areas in Balaka district that register high rates of Gender Based Violence (GBV). Most of the registered cases are perpetrated against women and girls and they include forced child marriages, sexual harassment and child sexual exploitation among others.
Thus, it is against this backdrop that YONECO conducted a GBV awareness session at Ludwe Primary School at Utale in the area Traditional Authority (T/A) Nkaya in the district. The activity targeted both male and female learners at the school to know about the dangers of GBV and the importance of reporting such cases to authorities.
The learners were made aware of various GBV reporting channels at various levels at community and district level. Further to this, YONECO also publicized its national toll-free child helpline (116) and the GBV crisis-line (5600).
The activity was also facilitated by officials from the Balaka Districts Social Welfare Office and the Malawi Police Service.
