Last February, women in South Africa marched to reclaim taxi ranks in Johannesburg following an incident where 2 young women were harassed for wearing mini-skirts. Bhatupe Mhango reflects on the situation of women's rights in Malawi after a very similar incident occured in her country.
Women’s rights activists in Malawi say despite laws that protect them on paper, there are still societal barriers that treat women as second class citizens.
Bhatupe Mhango, a Malawi human rights worker now based in Liberia, said during one recent incident, women wearing skirts and shorts were molested and harassed by vendors. She said this highlights the obstacles facing the country’s females on a daily basis.
“They [activists] are really asking for society to change their attitudes, their mindsets on how women are perceived in society as a whole,” said Mhango.
