A 38 year old lady Wezzie Mwandira, is reportedly is in hiding fearing for a forced genital mutilation in northern Malawi.
Mwandira told us that she overheard relatives from Mwenelupembe village of Traditional Authority (TA) Kyungu in Karonga district, conniving of the suspected plot.
She said; “I fled through a backyard window, leaving the relatives with ready assembled sharp objects, and reported the issue to local authorities. I am geared to publicly fight for rights of many girls who might be prone to this abuse”.
According to Mwandira, who said she she is still traumatized, she is still waiting for an action from the authorities who she assured her to take up the issue with the police.
The single mother’s first born son Emmanuel, has told us that he is processing a police report to substantiate the issue with relevant authorities.
“It seems the relatives wanted this for some rituals, as this is reportedly not the first in our clan. Want to take the issue further as one way of stopping this malpractice,” said Emmanuel.
Paramount chief Kyungu said this is news, and strange that this can happen in this age.
“I am over 80 years now, and it is strange to hear of female genital mutilation in my area during my reign. I will however follow up with village headman Mwenelupembe whom I believe could have reported this to me if it got to his attention,” chief Kyungu said.
He said female genital mutilation has however previously been associated with some religion, not tradition in neither Karonga nor Chitipa districts.
Many human rights activists have been fighting Female genital mutilation, which mostly comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
