Human rights commission struggles to address violations due to funding shortages

The country’s main body of human rights advocates, the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has bemoaned funding challenges as the main reason hindering them from conduction human rights related investigations.

This follows a tweet by MHRC’s Executive Secretary Habiba Osman who tagged President Lazarus Chakwera saying he wouldn’t be needing commission of inquiries if the commission had enough funding.

According to Osman, bodies like Ombudsman and MHRC were designed to investigate human rights violations cases and it would have been easier if the bodies are well funded as per mandate.

According to MHRC’s chairperson Scader Louis, the mandate is being given to other bodies.

Louis added that independent commission of inquiries and the MHRC could work together complementing each other in carrying out some investigations to avoid duplication.

The commission is currently being asked to institute fresh investigations on the controversial arrest of the director general of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Martha Chizuma.