Our Progress | UN Women Transparency Portal

Spotlight Programme Outcome: Normative and policy frameworks are promoted and adapted in line with international standards, and institutions have the commitment, knowledge, and capacities to legislate, plan, implement and monitor policies to address VAWG

UN Women Malawi Country Office through the Spotlight Initiative programme advocated for the amendment of 5 laws and 2 policies that had been identified as key for protecting women and girls from violence. The review and drafting of the 5 laws and 2 policies namely (i) The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act; (ii) The Marriage Divorce and Family Relations Act; (iii) The Child Care, Protection and Justice Act; (iv) The Gender Equality Act; (v) The Penal Code; (vi) The Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Policy; and (vii) The National Child Policy was led by the taskforce on law reform co-chaired by the MoJ and MGCDSW. As part of this process, the amendment of the Penal Code which was tabled by parliament and passed in 2022 and assented to in February 2023. The amendment of the Penal Code included the redefining of the age of a child, as a person under the age of eighteen years, and sexual offences against children and persons with mental disabilities.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MWI_D_4.2

More women play a greater role in and are better saved by humanitarian response and recovery efforts

UN Women provided technical and financial support to the Malawi government to develop a National Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan with gender considerations to ensure a gender-responsive approach; financially supported the orientation of 146 stakeholders, 99 males and 47 females, on the national Disaster Risk Management Information System (DRMIS) designed to empower districts with tools and knowledge for effective needs assessment reporting, taking into consideration the importance of SADDD data; and trained 38 women led organizations on gender mainstreaming in DRM, enhancing their capacity to play active roles in disaster response and recovery.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MWI_D_4.3

Ministries of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Local Government, Natural Resources and Climate Change and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs [DoDMA] in Malawi use prevention, preparedness and recovery policy frameworks, systems, processes, and tools, which are gender-responsive and implemented as a result of local women's and girls' advocacy

Data collected from external sources e. g. the Tropical Cyclone Freddy, the UN Plan of Action, The Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (1991), the National Disaster Risk Management Policy (2015) and the National Resilience Strategy (2018 – 2030).

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MWI_D_4.4

Women and girls are prepared to withstand multiple hazards, recover from disasters, and increase their resilience to future disasters and threats.

UN Women through the Creating Understanding, Responsiveness and Efficacy on Gender Based Violence (CURE GBV), CERF funded project ensured that GBV and PSEA in humanitarian systems and services are available, safe, effective, and responsive to the needs and rights of women and girls, people with disabilities and the vulnerable communities. The activities implemented in the CURE GBV project provide and increased access and awareness to 32, 988 women and girls, on PSEA and GBV services in the 3 districts (Blantyre, Phalombe and Zomba) heavily affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MWI_D_6.1

Enhanced implementation of national, regional and international normative and policy frameworks

Further progress on the development of the national gender policy and strategic plan for the parliamentary women caucus.