IRLI recently went to the women’s prison in Lilongwe to celebrate Human Rights Day with the 120 women who are being detained there, including women accused of infanticide. Infanticide was first introduced as a distinct offence in 1922 with the enactment of the Infanticide Act in England and Wales, which limited infanticide to neo-natal killing.

In collaboration with the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute, and Reprieve, IRLI is looking forward to hosting a public lecture on Saturday 2 November at the Protea Hotel, Blantyre, Malawi.

We sit down with some of Irish Rule of Law International’s (IRLI) Malawi team this month to discuss how the country’s poverty is affecting its justice institutions.

In the third edition of our series dedicated to the work of our partner organisations, we shine the spotlight on the Gender and Justice Unit, a Malawian non-profit that uses legal empowerment as a catalyst for gender equality and social and environmental justice. We spoke to its Deputy Director and Project Manager Emma Kalea Chigwenembe to find out more. 

In a new series highlighting the work of our partners, we spoke to Trouble Kalua, Director of the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau. Since its establishment in 2011, the Bureau has been dedicated to delivering high-quality legal assistance to marginalised communities, as well as promoting legal literacy among the general public. Over the years, we have consistently collaborated with Trouble and his team as part of our ongoing access to justice programme in Malawi.

By Robert Gleeson

Malawi’s police Independent Complaints Commission (ICC), finally established last September, could be more successful in its operation if organised with the local context in mind.

As part of our programme in Malawi, we organise trainings for magistrates, which includes sentencing guidelines. Over the coming months, we will be profiling some of the magistrates that have taken part in our trainings. First up, Cecilia Lettiena Onsewa.

By Jessica O'Neill

By Andrea Vizsolyi

By Éilis Brennan