NGC chairperson Babra Banda's remarks follows the 2022 Ombudsman annual report that has rated women at 14 percent while men are standing at 67 in reporting complaints.

Some key highlights in the 2022 Ombudsman annual report is the handling of 1,947 one-off complaints and holding 54 public inquiries which saw 11 determinations being issued.

According to Banda the report is a true reflection of huge gaps that exist between men and women in the country that requires urgent response.

"We are concerned that most women lack access to information on different issues compared to men, a development that is leading to the rise of cases of abuse among women," Banda added.

Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa, is however calling for the elimination of some cultural practices to address abuse of vulnerable groups.

"We have a social cultural environment that is forcing women not to report complaints to relevant authorities and Ombudsman need to take up holistic approach to address the problem," Kaiyatsa added.

The Ombudsman has an obligation to lay before the National Assembly Annual Reports in respect of the Office’s work according to Section 127 of the Constitution and Section 9 (2) of the Ombudsman Act (Chapter 3:07 of the Laws of Malawi).