The Minister of Gender Community Development and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati, has condemned men who abuse women after crop harvest in the Traditional Authority Mabvele in Mchinji district.
Speaking at the Rural Women International Day celebration on October 15, the Minister stated that women have always contributed to solving problems that a nation faces, such as participating in agriculture.
According to Kaliati, “As we all know, 80% of women are farmers who live in rural areas, and as such, they are the same women who are primarily harassed by their husbands.”
She added that women typically assume the majority of the responsibilities in farming activities, but once crops are harvested, men are in charge of selling the harvests.
“Despite the fact that women play an important role in farming, men frequently control the harvest by selling the produce, and instead of spending the money at home, they spend it on prostitutes,” Kaliati continued.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Rural Women Assembly, Alice Kachere, concurred with the Minister’s remarks in her speech, stating that women in rural areas endured great suffering and required a lot of support to be stable.
Kachere explains that in addition to training rural women in the production of manure and the production of charcoal from waste materials,
“As RWA, we decided that one way to tackle these challenges would be to organise these women to come together and share their problems, as well as to assist them in finding alternative solutions for themselves.”
Chairperson of the Rural Women Assembly, Alice Kachere
She adds that since local seeds are easier to find and contain more nutrients than chemically treated seeds, they are being promoted to rural women as an alternative to hybrid seeds.
“The yellow maize we grow each year contains vitamin C and A, which helps our eyes have good vision, and the red maize which we encourage our women to grow helps to prevent prostate cancer in men as well as water loss when one is constipated,” Kachere explained.
The theme of this year’s celebration was Rural Women Confront the Global Cost of Living Crisis, and honorary guests included Patricia Kaliati, the Minister for Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, and Deputy Minister Agnes Nkusa Nkhoma.
