Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) monitoring exercises on the status of human rights in prison and police cells have established continued violations of rights of suspects and inmates.
Besides the human rights issues, MHRC also established that poor funding, limited human resource, inadequate infrastructure and equipment in the institutions are contributing to challenges that inmates and suspects face.
The commission conducted the exercise to assess the living conditions, infrastructure, access to justice, healthcare and overall welfare of inmates and to evaluate the treatment of vulnerable groups in detention facilities.
funding and timely disbursements
Presenting the report’s findings in Lilongwe yesterday, MHRC commissioner Boniface Massa said the exercise was conducted in 23 prisons and 22 police formations nationwide.
The report shows that there are still serious issues of overcrowding, especially in the male sections of correctional facilities despite recent presidential pardons.
“Overcrowding exacerbates the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis and scabies. Female inmates lack essential hygiene products, thereby compromising their well-being,” said Massa.
The report also shows that 14 children are in detention because their mothers were imprisoned.
“There was insufficient care for the children. Access to food and early childhood development programmes is a challenge. There is need to improve care for children accompanying their mothers and enhance access to hygiene products for inmates and staff,” said Massa.
He added: “Food shortage is still an issue. Several prisons face food shortages due to non-payment of suppliers and reliance on firewood for cooking.”
There are also complaints of abuse of inmates by authorities. The inmates are also used as source of cheap labour for personal activities by prison officers.
Similar challenges were found in police cells, with the report indicating cases of overcrowding, physical abuse and suspects being denied access to toilets and other basic amenities in some police stations.
Most police stations failed to meet international standards for food, water, clothing and hygiene.
“Funding shortages limited access to medical services and transport for sick detainees,” said Massa.
According to him, MHRC will engage Treasury to ensure increased funding for prison and police is disbursed timely.
In her remarks, MHRC executive secretary Habiba Osman said monitoring prisons and police cells helps MHRC to be a primary source of information on human rights issues in the detention facilities and also to push for action to address the challenges.
Malawi Prisons Commissioner General Masauko Wiskoti said the report will give them an opportunity to reflect on the issues, further committing to investigate findings on improper use of inmates.
Malawi Police Service assistant public relations officer Felix Misomali said some of the challenges require more financial resources to be addressed.
