Contribution to international development report: 2018-2019

Chapter Eleven: Justice

11.1 Criminal Justice Support: Police Scotland Programme: Malawi and Zambia

11.1.1. The Programme

The Scottish Government is providing Police Scotland with £500k per year under the IDF until 2019 to support the specialist training they are carrying out with police forces in Malawi and Zambia for tackling gender-based violence and improving child protection.

In 2018-19, Police Scotland have built solid foundations in their Capacity Strengthening activity with colleagues in Malawi and Zambia.

Supporting the SDGs and developing an outcome-focused approach for victims, examining the journey of a victim and improving touchpoints where they engage in the Criminal Justice sector.

Above: Malawi Victim Support Unit Community officers now readily identifiable in their communities.

3 Good Health and Well-Being

5 Gender Equality

16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

17 Partnerships for the Goals

11.1.2. Contribution to Development

Expanding on previous work, 2018/19 saw specialist training delivered to senior investigating officers who manage responses to gender-based violence and child protection matters. This provided an opportunity to professionalise and streamline a national cadre of officers in both countries, to help improve responses to serious crimes.

A successful six month national media campaign was delivered in Malawi. This activity was designed to reach the most rural of communities with ‘Protecting Children is Everyone’s Responsibility’, the key message.

Police Scotland officers jointly presented some TV and Radio broadcasts with their Malawi colleagues, with strategically placed Billboards in Zomba, Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzusu.

A key finding of previous evaluation work in Zambia highlighted a lack of first aid knowledge and capacity for Victim Support Unit staff. Police Scotland partnered with First Aid Africa, Zambia Police College Trainers and the Scottish Ambulance Service, to deliver two First Aid “Train the Trainer” courses, capacity strengthening Zambia Police College to cascade this essential skill to frontline Victim Support Unit officers.

Police Scotland have continued their work to connect all police stations in Malawi with desktop computers. This work will provide a platform not only for all stations to connect electronically, it will also host a new Crime Recording and Management System (CRMS) which will transform the service provided to victims. The CRMS is intuitive for users. When fully operational it will have the functionality to provide detailed management information, for example identifying crimes involving Children or Albinism as an aggravating factor. The head of Victim Support Unit in Malawi stated:

‘Let me join colleagues to thank Scotland for the kind gesture that Scottish Police is showing to Malawi Police Service.

The computers received will support a bigger connectivity project that Police Scotland is supporting Malawi Police Service with, in the process of strengthening management information systems to improve on decision-making to curb violence against children and gender-based violence’.

Supporting their commitment to the Goals, Police Scotland held a UK and International Sustainable Goals Conference at their Headquarters at Tulliallan Castle. This inaugural event focussed on Goals 5: Gender Equality, 10: Reduced Inequalities, and 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Scottish and United Kingdom Policing and Partnership approaches to Gender-based Violence, Child Protection, Human Trafficking and Gender Equality were the key themes.

Police Scotland were also awarded the rare privilege to contribute to the 7th Kigali International Conference Declaration, Annual General Meeting in Malawi. The conference was aimed at highlighting and reaffirming the roles and responsibilities of security agencies in ending violence against women and girls on the African continent, 50 African states and organisations were represented. Police Scotland were the only non-African/non-signatory organisation invited to attend and speak.

Above: Management of Investigation Training in Zambia

11.2 Social Justice Support

11.2.1 Introduction

Global social justice issues sit at the heart of development – domestically in Scotland and internationally – for meeting the SDGs. The Scottish Government believes that being able to access period products is fundamental to equality, dignity and rights. We are proud to have taken world-leading action to fund access to free period products for those attending schools, colleges and universities and, in partnership with others, we are continuing to expanding access to period products in communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has committed to working better together, both internally and externally, to ensure a “do no harm” approach to developing countries and to go further than that, to work across Ministerial portfolios to identify policies and initiatives that can contribute positively to development outcomes.

11.2.2 Access to Sanitary Products – Malawi

1 No Poverty

4 Quality Education

5 Gender Equality

6 Clean Water and Sanitation

8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

10 Reduced Inequalities

12 Responsible Consumption and Production

16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

11.2.3 Background

In September 2018, Malawian women funding to help make and sell reusable sanitary products in their communities. The £13,000 award to the Freedom from Fistula project is making it possible for patients who are recovering from fistula repair surgery, to be trained to manufacture environmentally friendly reusable sanitary towels.

The funding was also used to donate packs of the reusable products to 1,000 school pupils.

Below: Scottish Government International Development Minister Ben Macpherson visited the Fistula Care Centre at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe as part of his engagements in Malawi in September 2018.

“Prolonged, difficult labour and lack of access to maternity care has left an estimated two million women and girls in Africa suffering from obstetric fistula which can leave them incontinent, and often condemned to a life of solitude and despair. No-one should experience this which is why this scheme is so important.

“This funding will not only support communities to access sanitary products, but will also help women develop entrepreneurial skills and build businesses to support them and their communities.

“Investing in entrepreneurial activities such as this will mean that Scotland is supporting Malawi to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

(First Minister, announcing the support at the Alliance’s September 2018 annual conference)

Ann Gloag, founder of Freedom from Fistula said:

“We are delighted the Scottish Government is supporting this important initiative to enable former fistula patients to be economically independent after surgery, as well as provide reusable sanitary products for schoolgirls in Malawi.

“Our fistula patients have often lived a life of shame and isolation following their childbirth injury so the medical treatment is just the first step on their road to recovery. Providing opportunities for them to earn their own income beyond surgery empowers our patients for the long-term and has a positive impact on the country’s economy. It is even better that their business also provides sanitary products for some of the poorest women and girls in the country.”

Case Study: Reusable Sanitary Pads Manufacture – Patuma’s Story

In January 2019, 15 former patients were invited to the local centre linked to Bwaila hospital in Lilongwe to be trained on how to make reusable sanitary pads in their respective villages. Each woman took home a starter pack kit including a manual sewing machine and the materials required to make reusable sanitary pads.

Three months after the women received their reusable pad starter pack, the Freedom From Fistula Foundation visited some of them to follow up on their progress. They visited five women and conducted interviews with them. The outcome of one of these interviews is presented below.

Patuma has made MK 42,000 from making pads and MK 15,000 from making clothes. She has saved some money for purchasing more fabric for making pads, as well as saving MK 28,000 at the village bank.

The women in her village are pleased to have access to these pads as they feel that it is hygienic for them to use these pads than the cloths they have been using over the years.

Patuma sells her pads for Mk 300 each in schools and women gatherings.

Apart from sewing the pads, Patuma is also being taught by her cousin how to make clothes and has so far learnt how to make dresses.