Final Evaluation: Women Judges Lead the Fight to Demand Justice and Accountability for Sexual Violence Survivors in Malawi

Location: Malawi

Grantee: Women Judges Association of Malawi

Grant period: 1 March 2017 – 28 February 2019

Grant amount: $500,000

Summary: The Women Judges Association of Malawi implemented the project “Women Judges Lead the Fight to Demand Justice and Accountability for Sexual Violence Survivors in Malawi” with two main objectives: 1) criminal justice reform; and 2) empowerment of women and girls in accessing justice. The project promoted women’s leadership within the justice sector; trained judges, prosecutors and police on gender stereotypes; and advocated for consistent protocols for courts handling sexual violence cases.

Main findings of the evaluation:

• The project conducted awareness sessions in remote areas with high incidences of sexual violence. The sessions reached 15,369 women, 6,756 boys and girls, and 6,206 men.
• The awareness sessions exposed cultural practices that promote child marriage, dispelled myths about sexual violence, and addressed dominant cultural norms.
• The project created the Gender Task Force, which developed a curriculum on managing sexual violence cases that will inform people involved in the criminal justice system.
• The project developed a model for dealing with sexual violence in refugee camps that addressed the challenges of the diverse languages and cultural backgrounds of refugees.

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