Thursdays in Black – Malawi (UMMSA)

Name of the activity: Thursdays in Black

Country/NMO: Malawi (UMMSA)

Program: Gender Based Violence

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign

General description:

Every Thursday during the month of April we encouraged our target populations to put on black in honour of those that have been victims of gender based violence. We also asked them to put up pictures on social media with encouraging and empowering messages. We as SCORA also shared information on GBV on social media but also via different media houses which we partnered with. Furthermore we partnered with 3 celebrities that are influential to participate and also reach out further to the population by posting pictures in black as well.

Focus area:

Sexual Exploitation and Rape

Problem statement:

There are a high number of sexual assault cases in Blantyre, mainly women and children. This could be due to the attitudes people have and the cultural beliefs that are in place. Therefore those that are assaulted will not report or are unaware of where to go to seek help. A survey conducted in Malawi showed that around 18% of women believed it was alright for their husbands to beat them for reasons including coming home late or burning food. This then led to the idea of an awareness campaign that focuses on drawing people’s attention to the problem that is at hand.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

The youth
Medical doctors and students
General population

Objectives and indicators of success:

To bring awareness to Gender based violence
To educate people on different forms of violence
To educate people on where they can go if they are victims of gender based violence.

Methodology:

This was done by ensuring people are aware of the theme to put on black every Thursday during the month of April. We also went onto social media as well as social media houses to let the general population know what we would be doing. Furthermore we used the media houses to discuss issues of gender based violence, it’s forms amd where to go to get help.

Plans for evaluation:

The outcome was evaluated by the number of people that reached out to participate on social media but also those who reached out for help in terms of where to go to get help as well as how they can contribute to this cause.