We're kicking off a series, profiling Irish and Northern Irish lawyers who have worked abroad or are working abroad. First up: Irish Solicitor, Patricia Gannon from Boyle, Co. Roscommon, who originally worked as a practitioner and eventually as founder/partner in the largest law firm in the Balkans. She is now an entrepreneur and social connector, running Gannon Advisory – an holistic strategic advisory business.

By Éilis Brennan

By Lindiwe Sibande

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an immense shock to societies and economies globally. In more recent months, as a second more severe wave has affected more low-income countries, pre-existing strains on resources and gaps in institutional capacity have further been exacerbated. This article discusses the impact that COVID-19 has had on children in Malawi and further illustrates the additional impact faced by children in conflict with the law.

By Susie Kiely

Practical sociocultural, educative and incentivising strategies are what is needed to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic nationally, not - though popular the world over - the transfer of the burden to the blunt instrument of criminal law, which often proves ineffective and dangerous, and disproportionally disadvantages the most vulnerable of society.

29-year-old Chikondi Mandala is an Assistant Registrar at the High Court of Malawi. In her early twenties, she became the youngest magistrate in Malawi’s history. Today, on International Women's Day, we’re shining a light on Chikondi and the work she does.

By Tyler Holmes

Through late February, three times as many official cases of Covid-19 have been identified in 2021 as there were in 2020. And police warnings about using force to affect the lockdown have come true in beatings and arrests.

By Victor Mhango and Tyler Holmes

An independent police complaints body is not only about holding police to account, but also about respecting victims’ rights. Over half of respondents to the government’s Justice and Democratic Accountability Survey in 2018 were unsatisfied with the fairness of the police when responding to crime. An ICC will allow victims to access justice through an impartial body that will respect their dignity.

by Lawyer Andrea Vizsolyi, Director of IRLI’s Public Prosecution’s Programme from our Malawi Project.

Resources for those with mental health conditions in Malawi are severely limited (there is only one psychiatric hospital in the country), and criminal justice actors lack requisite sensitivity and/or knowledge in dealing with mental health conditions. This makes the frequent limbo of such accused persons dangerous to themselves and those surrounding them.

by Jessica O'Neill, chairperson of IRLI's Blackhall Trainee programme.

This blog post was first published in the Cambridge University Human Rights Law Society Blog and draws upon research conducted at IRLI on Malawi's compliance with its obligations under international human rights law.

Irish Rule of Law International has partnered with The Malawi Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA), the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), and Reprieve to submit a report to the Human Rights Committee (HRC).