By Augustus Nkhwazi
Mzuzu, May 19, Mana: The first quarterly report for 2025 released by Malawi Police Service (MPS) recently, shows a sharp rise in cases of violence against older persons in Malawi this year as compared to a similar period in 2024.
Deputy Public Relations Officer for the MPS, Harry Namwaza, told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Saturday that the cases have risen to 13 in 2025 from 12 last years.
Namwaza said most of the violence towards the elderly resulted into murder.
"Break down of the cases for the first quarter of 2024 include nine murder cases, two assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one poisoning", said Namwaza in a written response through WhatsApp.
For the first quarter of 2025, Namwaza stated that seven of the cases were murder, two assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two malicious damage, one arson and one unlawful wounding.
He further said most of those that suffered the violence were of the age range from 60-90 years old.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) Chairperson, Gift Trapence, has since expressed concern with the increase in cases of violence against the elderly.
Trapence said this calls for government and different stakeholders that includes Ministry of Gender, MPS, traditional and religious leaders, as well as the civil society, to have concerted efforts in creating awareness amongst Malawians for the protection of older persons’ rights.
"It is now high time that we have a robust national action plan that can be funded by different stakeholders to make sure that the rights of the elderly are put at the centre," he stated in a written response to Mana on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Executive Director for Malawi Network of Order Persons (MANEPO), Andrew Kavala, says the statistics from the MPS first quarterly report highlights systemic gaps in the protection of older persons. He notes that high prevalence of murder at 75 percent of the violence in 2024 and 54 percent in 2025 indicate severe targeting of the elderly.
"This suggests inadequate preventive measures such as poor law enforcement focus on elder-specific crimes and weak deterrents such as lenient penalties," he stated.
Kavala, who is also a Human Rights Commissioner, added that there are limited support systems taking into consideration the age range of those who suffered the violence which he said includes individuals who may live alone, lack mobility, or face social isolation as a result, perpetrators take advantage to exploit or harass them.
The MANEPO Executive Director has recommended the need to strengthen legal frameworks.
He said the Judiciary should make it intentional to provide stiffer penalties for crimes against older persons.
He further suggests an enhanced law enforcement where deliberate efforts are made to sensitize police officers across the country to handle elder abuse cases with sensitivity and prioritize patrols in high-risk areas such as isolated neighborhoods.
He said, currently, his organization is undertaking community based programs towards establishing helplines for older persons, intergenerational programming aimed at promoting activities to reduce isolation and data driven policies that will see to it that there is regular publication of crime statistics.
"By addressing these gaps holistically, Malawi can shift from reactive measures to proactive protection, ensuring dignity and security for older persons," Kavala said.
