By Staff Reporter
First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera has presided over a High-Level Advocacy Dialogue on Elimination of Infertility Stigma and Associated Gender-Based Violence in Malawi at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Wednesday afternoon
In her remarks, the First Lady said there is a need for psychological and financial support for Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors to empower them to be independent.
Madame Chakwera underscored the importance of engaging young girls in issues of Infertility and GBV for prevention. She further appealed to various stakeholders present to join hands in the implementation of programs that support GBV Survivors.
Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati emphasized on the need for a mindset change amongst men and women to work together in fighting infertility stigma and gender based violence.
She said strengthened stakeholder relations, policies and programs being implemented in the country are key to ending GBV. Kaliati urged more women and men experiencing violence to report so they can be assisted accordingly.
In her statement, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative, Nelida Rodriguez reaffirmed their commitment towards holistically destigmatizing infertility and integrating it into Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) programmes.
The Dialogue brought together various stakeholders including Traditional leaders, Religious leaders, Policy makers, GBV survivors and partner organizations.
