Blantyre District Council and child rights organisations have called for stronger collaboration to safeguard children from abuse, neglect, and family separation, stressing the need for joint efforts to curb rising violations.
The call was made on Friday during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on child protection services, organised by the NGO Coalition on Child Rights (NGO CCR) in Blantyre.
Principal Gender and Development Officer for Blantyre District Council, Stephano Joseph, cited UNICEF’s 2024 report which highlights persistent challenges facing children.
“These children experience physical abuse, child labour, and other violations. This calls for all of us to work together to protect children who truly need care,” Joseph said.
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He reaffirmed the council’s commitment to child protection, particularly in risk management and reintegration of children from care institutions.
National Coordinator for the NGO Coalition on Children’s Rights, Henry Machemba, said the coalition, in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, is implementing a four-year Family Strengthening Child Protection Project.
“With support from Norad, we are implementing this project in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Chikwawa, and Mzuzu to reach out to 1,200 families and 3,940 children, including 1,935 boys and 2,005 girls who need care and are at risk of losing parental care,” Machemba said.
Baseline findings from the project revealed that 48 percent of children in at-risk families experience physical violence at home, 70.9 percent lack access to health care, 28.6 percent are malnourished, and 20.5 percent suffer mental health issues, while nearly all families live on less than two dollars a day.
Stakeholders present included the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), Islamic Relief, Aquaid Lifeline, SOS Children’s Villages, and other civil society organisations, who pledged continued collaboration to protect children.
