Malawi Human Rights

Human Rights Concerns

Violence Against Women

A recent Amnesty International report, Safe Schools: Every Girl’s Right, shows how violence in and around educational institutions remains pervasive. At school, many girls face psychological violence, bullying and humiliation. Some are caned or beaten in school in the name of discipline. Girls are threatened with sexual assault by other students, offered higher marks by teachers in exchange for sexual favours, and even raped in the staff room. A 2006 study of schoolgirls in Malawi found that 50 percent of girls said they had been touched in a sexual manner without permission by either their teachers or a fellow student.

Attacks against girls in schools have both immediate and long-term impacts. Not only do girls suffer from the impact of violence on their physical and mental health, but in the context of education, the violence may cause girls to drop out and lose any hope of escaping poverty and political marginalization. Amnesty International is calling on governments working to achieve the 2000 Millennium Development Goals to address violence and discrimination against girls. The goals, which aim to eradicate poverty, include calls for universal primary education and gender equality, but they measure progress by the number of girls in class, without seeking to address violence and discrimination that keeps or pushes girls out of school.

HIV/AIDS

Fourteen per cent of Malawi's population are living with HIV or AIDS; one million children are believed to have been orphaned by HIV or AIDS-related deaths. While approximately 60,000 people receive antiretroviral therapy for free at state hospitals, poverty and the stigma associated with the virus continues to impede access to treatment. AIDS is a priority in the government's growth and development strategy. Some 200,000 people living with HIV or AIDS receive food assistance from the World Food Program. The prevalence of HIV and AIDS results in an increasing number of households headed by children. The current life expectancy rate is 46.3 years.

Food Insecurity

Despite a huge maize harvest in 2007, the country remains impoverished. Although the law prohibits child labor, children as young as 10 were reported to be working on tobacco farms.

Prison Safety and the Death Penalty

Overcrowding and lack of adequate food and health care in prisons persist. Some 11,000 prisoners are held in prisons designed to hold 5,000 people. People awaiting trial constitute 17 per cent of the prison population. Approximately 110 deaths of prisoners were recorded in 2007. The Southern African Litigation Centre called on the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to undertake an investigative mission to Malawi. However, the High Court ruled mandatory death sentences unconstitutional.

Political Stability

In recent years, political squabbles have hampered the passage of a budget aimed at development and poverty alleviation. Tension between the majority opposition United Democratic Front and the Malawi Congress Party and President wa Mutharika's minority Democratic Progress Party reached its peak when Parliament initially refused to consider the 2007/2008 budget supporting development policies. Civic pressure eventually forced Parliament to consider the budget. In September, following the passage of the budget, President wa Mutharika dissolved Parliament until May 2008.

In Malawi, reports of excessive police force against protesters have been common, as is the abuse of suspects in police custody. These forces act with impunity.

Malawi: Love is Not a Crime
Two men were arrested in Malawi after a 'traditional engagement ceremony'. They were reportedly beaten by police while in custody. The arrest of the two men solely for their real or perceived sexual orientation is discrimination in violation of their rights to freedom of conscience, expression, and privacy. Laws that criminalize homosexuality are in violation of treaties signed by Malawi. » More actions

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