He has however accused some chiefs for fueling the vice as they are encouraging negotiation on sexual gender-based violence cases instead of reporting to responsible authorities.

Kawinga made the remarks on Wednesday at Ngokwe Primary School in Machinga during the district's commemorations of 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence organized by European Union funded Spotlight Initiative and its partners, where he also expressed concern on delayed prosecution of GBV perpetrators.

"This is a battle for every individual in the country, including chiefs as custodians of culture, we must also be the first to end all forms of gender-based violence, not to fuel it," said Paramount Chief Kawinga.

Machinga District Gender Officer, Olive Msyamboza says there is a need to intensify civic education among the communities on laws that guide gender issues, adding the district is trailing in the fight against the vice.

"We are not doing fairly well as a district in the fight against gender-based violence as their other perpetrators who are fueling the vice. We need more stakeholders to join us in this fight," said Msyamboza.

During the event, it emerged that land grabbing, children and wife abandonment, forced marriages and sexual exploitation have been some of the gender-based violence cases that are rampant in Machinga.