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Turn out at one of the Road Shows
The Office of the Ombudsman together with the Malawi Human Rights Commission and the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau last week conducted awareness campaigns in an effort to educate people about the institutions’ different functions and mandates.
The teams carried messages on how to access their services through roadshows in some districts in the Central Region and some prisons in some parts of Malawi.
Deputy Director for Civic Education in the office of the Ombudsman Felix Masekesa decried the knowledge gap among inmates about the existence of the rights bodies and on how to access their services.
Masekesa thus hailed the European Union for the financial support to the three offices to be able to carry out the mass awareness campaigns.
“It is sad to note that most of the people incarcerated in the correction facilities are hardly aware of their rights. So many violations take place and they clearly had nowhere to report to. But with these campaigns we know there has been a lot of enlightenment and empowerment and we expect the situations to get better,” Masekesa said.
Speaking on the road shows, Investigations and Research Officer Andrew Kumbambe said entertainment is an effective way for civic education to reach a wider audience across.
“This increased reach ensures that more individuals, including women and vulnerable populations, are informed about their legal rights and how to access justice. It also leads to synergistic efforts where applicants leverage each other's strengths, resources, and networks to maximize the impact of awareness campaigns,” he added.
He added that the activities amplified the impact of individual initiatives, foster collaboration, and coordination among stakeholders, and contribute to positive changes in legal awareness, attitudes, and behaviors within communities.
The road shows were conducted in Dedza and Ntcheu Districts also with support of the European Union through the Chilungamo Programme II (Access to Justice) under the legal Awareness Pool Funds.
Source: The Office of the Ombudsman, Malawi
