Cases of violation of the rights of the elderly in the country continue to rise with six reportedly killed in January 2024 on witchcraft allegations.

During the same period last year, the country registered two killings of elderly persons saw 25 killed and 78 faced violence.

The gloomy statistics were revealed in Lilongwe yesterday during a stakeholders meeting on the rights of the elderly. The meeting has since formulated a National Response Plan to eliminate violence against the elderly.

Malawi Network of Older Persons’ Organisations country director Andrew Kavala said those killed include four women and two men while many others have been subjected to physical torture and other forms of abuse.

He expressed worry that Malawi continues to be a dangerous place to live for people above the age of 60 whom he said form four percent of the country’s population.

Kavala (R) speaks during the
meeting yesterday

Said Kavala: “The continued rise in violations against the elderly are due to negative perceptions; hence, the need for enabling policies in the fight against the vice.

“The National Response Plan gives us hope for the better. It will be comprehensive and inclusive. We will also review existing policies and identify key barriers to find lasting solutions.”

Malawi Human Rights Commission commissioner Viwemi Chavula, whose institution organised the meeting, described the situation as alarming; hence, he called on the nation to join forces in addressing the evil.

The meeting brought together commissioners from MHRC, the Judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the National Initiative for Civic Education Trust, government officials and organisations promoting the rights of the elderly.

Those killed in January include an elderly man in Chitipa, identified as Jamu Chizumila, who was brutally murdered for allegedly failing to take part in construction of a building at Namutegha Primary School in the district.

On January 10 2024, two elderly persons, Gerald Mmanjamwada, 80, and his wife, Ireen Nankhanga, 75, were killed and robbed of their property at Soma Village in Balaka. Assailants also killed a 69-year-old woman and chopped off her left breast at Mthengeza Village in Ntchisi on January 25.

In 2022, 15 elderly persons were killed and many were abused over witchcraft suspicion, according to Manepo, while 25 were killed in 2023.

It is estimated that by 2030, one in every six people will be 60 in Malawi.

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