Cut out: The violent war on reproductive freedom in Malawi

IMPALED—Christina's arm where the implant was taken out By Imam Wali: Alfred wrestled his 21-year-old wife, Christina Anthony, a Lidzinji Primary School standard seven dropout to the ground, pulled a knife, and cut her arm open. His goal was to dig out her jadelle, a contraceptive implant. Christina was left bleeding, traumatised, and helpless outside their home in Group Village Headman Chapezi, Traditional Authority Kachindamoto in Dedza. "My home has now been turned into a fighting ground. That day, he said I must bear another child to prove I was not cheating and not planning to leave him. I pleaded with him to stop, but he would not listen," Christina said. After two pregnancies in four years, Christina's health had deteriorated. She visited a nearby health facility in her community, where trained personnel fitted an implant as contraceptive that would span five years. Then, Alfred had a change of heart, he decided he wanted another child. "He overpowered me. He forcefully removed the implant with a knife. It was intensely painful, and I bled profusely. People watched us tussle outside, but no one came to my rescue," Christina recalls. CHISENGA—We conduct mental health counseling sessions for victims of gender-based violence Alfred, 30, burns charcoal for a living. But what he did with that knife is no mere marital dispute. Under Section 241(a) of Malawi's Penal Code, it is unlawful wounding, carrying a maximum sentence of seven years in jail. To date, no one in the district has been jailed for this specific offense. When confronted at home, Alfred defended his actions without remorse. "When we married, I made it clear we would have more children. She agreed. Unless she wants to cheat, that was the agreement, and it still remains. These children are the ones who are going to look after us when we age." Alfred said Christina's ordeal is part of a violent wave of reproductive coercion spreading across Malawi. While the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) highlights a 60% contraceptive prevalence rate, it also reveals a dark underbelly that one in three Malawian women report partner interference in family planning. In the southern part of Malawi, within Group Village Headman Phimbi, Senior Chief Phimbi in Balaka, 23-year-old Koweni Kapichira faced a similar ultimatum. After three children in six years, she secretly received a contraceptive implant. However, when her husband found it, he threatened to cut it out himself. Fearing the knife, Agnes returned to the health facility and had the implant medically removed, calling the ordeal a modern-day form of slavery. Local chiefs simply advised her to respect her husband. This war over bodily autonomy reaches deep into Malawi's north. At Karonga District Hospital, according to department nurse we spoke to, a 28-year-old man recently demanded that officials test and strip contraceptives from his 24-year-old wife. "This couple said they had been married for four years and the wife was not conceiving, which prompted disagreements in their marriage. We conducted the tests; the wife was not on contraceptives at all. Tests showed the fertility problem was actually his low sperm count. It showed how ruthless some men can be regarding family planning." he said For every woman accessing care, another risks violent retaliation at home, facing severe medical consequences like ruptured uteruses, sepsis, permanent scarring, and forced births. Dedza District Social Welfare Officer Edward Chisanga reports that only one case has officially been logged this year, masking dozens of unreported incidents. "There have been various abuses; couples are fighting, and marriages are ending because of beliefs regarding family planning. Our investigations show that some men believe sex feels different when a woman is on family planning. "Others say a real man must have many children, regardless of the woman's health. Women are simply too afraid to open assault cases against their husbands. As an office, we have one documented case, but a lot goes unreported," Chisanga explained To address this, his office conducts counseling sessions to help couples understand family planning and resolve conflicts. "We conduct mental health counseling sessions for victims of gender-based violence. This ensures they are not affected mentally and psychologically, helping them heal and return to normal lives," Chisanga said AGAINST ABUSE—Senior Chief Kasumbu 8 An official from Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM) in Dedza, speaking anonymously, confirmed that rural cases are frequently intercepted and suppressed by tribal elders. "We encounter many such cases when we are conducting outreach clinics, especially in rural areas. But from what we have gathered, patriarchal cushioning makes the practice incredibly hard to stop." the official stated All eight traditional authorities interviewed in Dedza agree that this is happening. While Traditional Authority Kasumbu warned that the era of treating forced removal as a mere marital dispute is ending. "Culture has to be observed, but never at the expense of another human being. Women know their bodies best. It is inhumane to force them to give birth to too many children. Any man who is found abusing women in this manner will regret the day he was born." Chief Kasumbu warned. MATEYO—Forced contraceptive removal is grievous bodily harm Gender-based violence (GBV) advocate Beatrice Mateyo argues that men should be sensitised so that their wives are productive not just reproductive. "It goes back to the belief that a woman's body should be controlled by her husband. It makes men feel like they are real men when the wife is bearing a lot of children. NGOs, need to do a lot of work in sensitising men that wives should also be productive, not just reproductive. Forced contraceptive removal is grievous bodily harm. It must be charged as assault. Until police treat it as a felony, we are failing rural women." Mateyo said Reproductive health specialist Dr. Zaziwe Gundah warned that reproductive coercion poses severe medical and psychological risks to women. "Removing implants must be done by trained experts. Forced removals carry a high risk of severe infection because unsterilised tools are used. There is also a major risk of uncontrollable bleeding if blood vessels are damaged, or reduced limb function if nerves are severed. "Furthermore, hormonal imbalances caused by improper, untimely removal can severely disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle, causing prolonged bleeding as the body readjusts." Dr Gundah explained He added that while family planning is vital, men must be actively included in the conversation. Currently, men are left out of these development processes, creating a gap that fuels mistrust. He emphasised that men need targeted sensitisation to understand that family planning is safe, harmless and beneficial for the entire family. This crisis directly undermines Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) by blocking access to safe, universal family planning, and violates Goal 5 (Gender Equality) by stripping women of basic bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. It also derails Malawi Vision 2063 by physically breaking the very mothers expected to drive national development. Months after the attack, Christina's scar has healed slower than her fear. Financial dependence traps her with Alfred. She desperately wants an implant but violence keeps her silent.

Times Malawi Times Malawi · Wire Report · 2 hours ago · 6 min read

Cut out: The violent war on reproductive freedom in Malawi

Image via wire syndication · Times Malawi

WIRE — IMPALED—Christina's arm where the implant was taken out By Imam Wali: Alfred wrestled his 21-year-old wife, Christina Anthony, a Lidzinji Primary School standard seven dropout to the ground, pulled a knife, and cut her arm open. His goal was to dig out her jadelle, a contraceptive implant. Christina was left bleeding, traumatised, and helpless outside their home in Group Village Headman Chapezi, Traditional Authority Kachindamoto in Dedza. "My home has now been turned into a fighting ground. That day, he said I must bear another child to prove I was not cheating and not planning to leave him. I pleaded with him to stop, but he would not listen," Christina said. After two pregnancies in four years, Christina's health had deteriorated. She visited a nearby health facility in her community, where trained personnel fitted an implant as contraceptive that would span five years. Then, Alfred had a change of heart, he decided he wanted another child. "He overpowered me. He forcefully removed the implant with a knife. It was intensely painful, and I bled profusely. People watched us tussle outside, but no one came to my rescue," Christina recalls. CHISENGA—We conduct mental health counseling sessions for victims of gender-based violence Alfred, 30, burns charcoal for a living. But what he did with that knife is no mere marital dispute. Under Section 241(a) of Malawi's Penal Code, it is unlawful wounding, carrying a maximum sentence of seven years in jail. To date, no one in the district has been jailed for this specific offense. When confronted at home, Alfred defended his actions without remorse. "When we married, I made it clear we would have more children. She agreed. Unless she wants to cheat, that was the agreement, and it still remains. These children are the ones who are going to look after us when we age." Alfred said Christina's ordeal is part of a violent wave of reproductive coercion spreading across Malawi. While the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) highlights a 60% contraceptive prevalence rate, it also reveals a dark underbelly that one in three Malawian women report partner interference in family planning. In the southern part of Malawi, within Group Village Headman Phimbi, Senior Chief Phimbi in Balaka, 23-year-old Koweni Kapichira faced a similar ultimatum. After three children in six years, she secretly received a contraceptive implant. However, when her husband found it, he threatened to cut it out himself. Fearing the knife, Agnes returned to the health facility and had the implant medically removed, calling the ordeal a modern-day form of slavery. Local chiefs simply advised her to respect her husband. This war over bodily autonomy reaches deep into Malawi's north. At Karonga District Hospital, according to department nurse we spoke to, a 28-year-old man recently demanded that officials test and strip contraceptives from his 24-year-old wife. "This couple said they had been married for four years and the wife was not conceiving, which prompted disagreements in their marriage. We conducted the tests; the wife was not on contraceptives at all. Tests showed the fertility problem was actually his low sperm count. It showed how ruthless some men can be regarding family planning." he said For every woman accessing care, another risks violent retaliation at home, facing severe medical consequences like ruptured uteruses, sepsis, permanent scarring, and forced births. Dedza District Social Welfare Officer Edward Chisanga reports that only one case has officially been logged this year, masking dozens of unreported incidents. "There have been various abuses; couples are fighting, and marriages are ending because of beliefs regarding family planning. Our investigations show that some men believe sex feels different when a woman is on family planning. "Others say a real man must have many children, regardless of the woman's health. Women are simply too afraid to open assault cases against their husbands. As an office, we have one documented case, but a lot goes unreported," Chisanga explained To address this, his office conducts counseling sessions to help couples understand family planning and resolve conflicts. "We conduct mental health counseling sessions for victims of gender-based violence. This ensures they are not affected mentally and psychologically, helping them heal and return to normal lives," Chisanga said AGAINST ABUSE—Senior Chief Kasumbu 8 An official from Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM) in Dedza, speaking anonymously, confirmed that rural cases are frequently intercepted and suppressed by tribal elders. "We encounter many such cases when we are conducting outreach clinics, especially in rural areas. But from what we have gathered, patriarchal cushioning makes the practice incredibly hard to stop." the official stated All eight traditional authorities interviewed in Dedza agree that this is happening. While Traditional Authority Kasumbu warned that the era of treating forced removal as a mere marital dispute is ending. "Culture has to be observed, but never at the expense of another human being. Women know their bodies best. It is inhumane to force them to give birth to too many children. Any man who is found abusing women in this manner will regret the day he was born." Chief Kasumbu warned. MATEYO—Forced contraceptive removal is grievous bodily harm Gender-based violence (GBV) advocate Beatrice Mateyo argues that men should be sensitised so that their wives are productive not just reproductive. "It goes back to the belief that a woman's body should be controlled by her husband. It makes men feel like they are real men when the wife is bearing a lot of children. NGOs, need to do a lot of work in sensitising men that wives should also be productive, not just reproductive. Forced contraceptive removal is grievous bodily harm. It must be charged as assault. Until police treat it as a felony, we are failing rural women." Mateyo said Reproductive health specialist Dr. Zaziwe Gundah warned that reproductive coercion poses severe medical and psychological risks to women. "Removing implants must be done by trained experts. Forced removals carry a high risk of severe infection because unsterilised tools are used. There is also a major risk of uncontrollable bleeding if blood vessels are damaged, or reduced limb function if nerves are severed. "Furthermore, hormonal imbalances caused by improper, untimely removal can severely disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle, causing prolonged bleeding as the body readjusts." Dr Gundah explained He added that while family planning is vital, men must be actively included in the conversation. Currently, men are left out of these development processes, creating a gap that fuels mistrust. He emphasised that men need targeted sensitisation to understand that family planning is safe, harmless and beneficial for the entire family. This crisis directly undermines Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) by blocking access to safe, universal family planning, and violates Goal 5 (Gender Equality) by stripping women of basic bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. It also derails Malawi Vision 2063 by physically breaking the very mothers expected to drive national development. Months after the attack, Christina's scar has healed slower than her fear. Financial dependence traps her with Alfred. She desperately wants an implant but violence keeps her silent.

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