DPP urges prosecutors to guard against GBV myths

By Mercy Matonga

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Fostino Maele has urged prosecutors to dispel myths and stereotypes surrounding gender-based violence (GBV) cases as misconceptions about survivors’ behaviour can undermine the fair assessment of evidence and the pursuit of justice.

He said this in Lilongwe yesterday during the opening of a training-of-trainers for prosecutors, which also featured the handover of the Southern African Development Community Handbook for Prosecutors on the Management of Gender- Based Violence.

Maele said prosecutors must assess evidence objectively rather than rely on discriminatory assumptions about how survivors of sexual violence should behave or respond to abuse.

“We, as prosecutors, have a particular responsibility to turn these commitments into meaningful outcomes. Our duty goes beyond bringing cases before the courts.

“We must ensure that cases are properly investigated, evidence is carefully assessed and prosecutions are conducted competently, fairly and without discrimination,” Maele said.

On his part, Assistant Commissioner of Police and South West Region Regional Prosecutions Officer, Charles Ponyani, said the training was important as GBV cases were on the rise in the country.

“It seems a lot of people are now reporting, and most cases involve women being beaten by their husbands,” Ponyani said.

The training programme is sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to improve responses to gender-based violence and access to justice for survivors.