Intimate Partner Violence – Results from a National Gender-Based Violence Study in Malawi

This document presents the conclusions of the first national survey on gender-based violence in Malawi, detailing high prevalence rates of abuse among women and identifying systemic failures in the response from police and medical service providers.

• The first survey on gender-based violence in Malawi indicates that nearly half of the women interviewed experienced some form of abuse. Physical abuse is the most prevalent, affecting almost one third of women, while more than one tenth reported sexual abuse.
• Despite increased attention from civil society and policy-makers and the implementation of awareness campaigns over the last five years, levels of abuse remain unacceptably high. There is a noted gap between the ideological commitment to rejecting gender violence and the ability to translate that awareness into physical resistance.
• Public sector responses to intimate partner violence are inconsistent. While victims who sought help from the police generally reported satisfaction and comfort, established protocols for dealing with survivors are often not followed. Additionally, a high percentage of victims seeking medical assistance waited over two hours for examination.
• The report suggests a multi-pronged strategy to address gender-based violence, including harsher punishments for perpetrators, increased government-generated employment to help women leave abusive partners, and enhanced training and sensitivity for police officers. It emphasizes the need for a single, monitored strategy involving all concerned agencies, including NGO and CBO networks.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Intimate Partner Violence – Results from a National Gender-Based Violence Study in Malawi. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INTIMATESEC9.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Intimate Partner Violence – Results from a National Gender-Based Violence Study in Malawi. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INTIMATESEC9.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Intimate Partner Violence – Results from a National Gender-Based Violence Study in Malawi |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INTIMATESEC9.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndintimate, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Intimate Partner Violence – Results from a National Gender-Based Violence Study in Malawi}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INTIMATESEC9.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }