I started working for CSJ News in 2019. Before that, I was a journalist for 20 years. Brian, the Director of CSJ, got in touch with me after he saw a story I wrote about abortion. It was elections time and I was interviewing the aspiring MPs and asking how they would deal with issues affecting minorities if they were elected. I covered LGBT issues, abortion, and early marriage within this. I come from an activist background – even when I was growing up I didn’t like hearing someone talking badly about women and girls. So I starting writing a column called Gender Talk. I always try to be a voice for the voiceless.
I’ve attended three funerals of girls who lost their lives because of clandestine abortions.
The impact in Malawi is really huge. We have a high rate of teenage pregnancy – these are unwanted pregnancies and these girls tend to seek unsafe abortion. They have less money, they can’t tell their parents. Most of the time, the first place they would think to go is a herbalist. In the villages, when you are sick, you would usually go to a witch doctor or herbalist. Even if someone did refer them to a hospital, it’s likely they will get turned away, because the doctors will say ‘we can’t help you, our hands are tied by the law.’
Usually girls who come to the herbalist with an unwanted pregnancy will be given a concoction to drink twice a day – no one really knows what’s in it. For some, it works, but even so, they will really suffer, they will bleed a lot. Most of the time it doesn’t work, and that’s when post-abortion care is needed. Many girls will seek even more dangerous methods, like drinking detergent, or using a casava stick.
We tell women there is another option.
We are trying to change the law, so that is a first step, but it’s not enough on its own. We also try to work directly with women and communities to let them know about safe abortion and what the law really says. Through our outreaches we let people know that actually, abortion, although very restricted, is legal in some situations.
I’ve seen a big difference since we started this work. Before, no one talked about issues like abortion. Now we have so many stories which have been written, so many radio shows that we produce. If there was feedback before it was always negative and insulting. Now people look at it differently, and the feedback is much more positive. There is now a conversation happening about safe abortion and people understand they have more options than they thought.
Abortion reform is long overdue in Malawi.
The Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) bill was actually first proposed in 2015 by the Ministry of Health after seeing that 18% of maternal mortality in Malawi comes from unsafe abortion. At that time a lot of women were dying and the government knew it needed to do something. The Law Commission did a lot of work to go around the districts to meet with chiefs, leaders and other stakeholders to gather views and experiences to shape the draft bill.
There was of course a lot of pressure from the anti-abortion movement but eventually a consensus was reached that the bill would allow abortion access under certain grounds. Currently the law only allows for abortion where the pregnant woman’s life is in danger. The bill would expand to situations including pregnancy as a result of rape or incest, malformation of the fetus, and threats to the woman’s mental or physical health.
Decision makers were particularly nervous about allowing ‘abortion on demand’ and at first MPs refused to even discuss the bill. It was written ten years ago but has still not been debated in Parliament. We are therefore working hard to increase grassroots support for abortion reform, to show that this is an issue which affects all communities, and the burden falls hardest on the most vulnerable.
No girl should die because of unsafe abortion.
I want to see a Malawi where everyone can access family planning, I think that’s the starting point. This would already help to reduce unsafe abortion. I also want to see the TOP bill passed – this would expand the legal right to safe abortion for more people.
We are proud of the work we have already done to engage young people, female activists, and religious leaders with this issue. They are now feeling brave enough to talk about these issues, and the impact on their lives.
Penelope Paliani Kamanga – Programmes Director of CSJ News, a SAAF grantee partner based in Malawi.