THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2015 Gender Based Violence & Conflict Resolution Dorothy Chingaipe, Lilongwe, Malawi, 2 nd June 2015 “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

SYNOPSIS Victim support and child protection is a critical component of the community policing initiatives of the Malawi Police Service. The VSUs were established as part of the Police Reform Programme in which the police were expected to diversify their services and provide assistance in a holistic manner. As of 2014, Malawi Police Service has 182 functional VSUs across the country providing victim support services.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES VSUs were established in 2001 with the aim of protecting, promoting and upholding the rights of victims/survivors of various forms of criminal and civil activities, especially those of vulnerable women and children. Police realized gaps in its services through the increased numbers of victims of GBV and crime who were not assisted which led to increased number of cases Provide effective and efficient services to victims of human rights abuses or GBV survivors in order to reduce the distress and trauma suffered Offer standard operations for victim support, care, counselling, first aid, and guidance to GBV survivors and perpetrators. It also acts as a referral agency and also awareness and empowering the local communities in the prevention of GBV. “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

BENEFICIARIES “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.” CATEGORYWOMENMENTOTAL% WOMEN Direct beneficiaries e.g. number of parliamentarians trained Country wide country wide Indirect beneficiaries (e.g. through other networks) Country wide Online beneficiaries (e.g. website access, mailing lists, scholarly articles) Country wide TOTAL

RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.” Amount local currency (specify) Amount in Rand Gender specific allocation 20,000, ,000 Gender in mainstream projects (please specify) Nil Amount contributed in cash or in kind by partner organisations (please specify) UNWOMEN NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT 15,000, ,105, ,000 8,0852, TOTAL 357,105, ,613,945

PARTNERSHIPS Malawi Police under the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security and on technical issues of Gender from the Ministry of Gender Children Disability and Social Welfare, has established functional relationship with the following organisations and institutons: International organisations like UNICEF, UNWOMEN,DFID,GIZ, At Regional level we have the Regional Police Women’s Network, At nationally, there is Every Child Malawi, Plan Malawi, Malawi Human Rights resource Centre, Centre for legal affairs, Tikondane care for Children, Oxfam. “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

PARTNERSHIP “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.” In the picture the Former inspector General of Police Mr. P. Kanyama, The Country representative Norwegian government, The director MHRRC Mr. Desmond Kaunda And Mrs. E. Kaliya handing over a VSU office to Police built by MHRRC

WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.” In the picture the Minister of Gender Disability and the Elderly, The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) and wife to the Inspector General Mr. R. Kachama when the minister visited the National Police Headquarters

MONITORING AND EVALUATION Use of Registers at the station help the officers to monitor the flow of clients to the station On monthly basis the Station Coordinators send monthly reports to regions who compile them and are sent to Headquarters. The national and regional headquarters visits the stations quarterly. Annual reports are also sent from Stations to Regions and after compilation at region they are sent to national Headquarters “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT The main challenge is mobility and we overcome this by sourcing motorcycles from other organisations like UNCEF We have learned that working together eases the problems we have in our day to day work. We have also learned that Traditional leaders can play a very big role in GBV prevention and reporting “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

RESULTS Women are now able to report cases of GBV and other cases to Police Increased number of tips citizen arrests and cases reported by the public The Malawi Police Service established the Media and Public Relations Office which makes sure that there is free flow of information between the police and members of the public. It is this office that helps in dissemination of information and activities carried out by VSUs. It also established a web site named Trainings conducted both by Police and civil society managed to train 562 Police officers Now Police Officers are close to the public because they are able to report and give tips to Police When GBV is taking place a neighbour, any person or the members of the CPF intervene to help stop the GBV Children and Young adults are also able to report cases to Police which was not the case before Police started sensitizing them in GBV and crime general “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL LEADERS In the picture Mrs. A. Gondwe, the Commissioner, Mr. Maluwa, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, the then National director of community Policing and Local Chiefs from Mkanda Mchinji at a sensitization meeting. “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION Establishment of Child Protection desk which allows the children to be receive special attention and sensitization of their own in schools, they are empowered and able to report and work with Police We have managed to offer shelter to GBV survivors rescued or those that come to report direct at VSU’s Children that are found to be in conflict with the law receive paralegal advisory services from paralegal officers. The medical personnel that are always ready to assist survivors that are physically abused have encouraged police that working in collaboration helps in securing convictions especially in cases of sexual Gender Based Violence. “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.” In the picture an officer from Kanengo sensitizing girls on prevention and how to report cases of GBV

NEXT STEP Rolling out to all Police stations, the concept of one stop centers that are currently only operational at Queen Elizabeth and Kamuzu Central Hospitals in Blantyre and Zomba respectively. VSU to have a transit shelter component like in the case of Kanengo and Lilongwe Police Stations. Improve mobility for the VSU offices as only 40% of them have access to motor bikes at the units while the rest do not have any means of transport. Introducing a toll free line where victims can directly report cases Training more officers to improve of service delivery “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”

THANKS “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”