Malawi Government and the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) are strengthening collaboration to improve access to justice for women and girls, particularly survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriage.
The partnership will focus on removing barriers that prevent vulnerable groups, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach communities, from accessing legal services and justice.
The commitment was made on Friday during a meeting in Lilongwe between the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare and CFJ co-founder Amal Clooney.
CFJ works with local organisations, including the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi and the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (Chreaa), on initiatives to improve access to justice.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango said access to justice remained a major challenge requiring stronger collaboration between government and justice-sector partners.
He said discussions focused on strengthening legal services, training magistrates and using technology to expand access to justice for women and children affected by GBV and other forms of violence.
“If we can empower magistrates, they can probably help in terms of access to justice for rural communities, women and children and the girl child,” he said.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha said women and girls in hard-to-reach areas often face significant barriers to justice, including long distances to courts and the high cost of legal representation.
Clooney said CFJ was in its fifth year of work in Malawi, with the foundation investing in the justice system through partnerships with local lawyers and organisations, including the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi.
She said: “We believe that the best way to advance human rights is to invest in the justice system.
“The first works we did planted a seed about what’s possible to help women access the justice system and make the legal protections that exist on paper come to life.”
Clooney said CFJ had also partnered with the University of Malawi will provide fully funded scholarships to 30 female law students, with 10 students starting this year.
