SALC IN THE NEWS: COURTS URGED TO PROTECT VULNERABLE GROUPS...
Blantyre, March 25: The Judiciary has been urged to interpret and fashion the law to ensure fulfillment of principle of equality on the various vulnerable groups in the country. Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda made the call to colleagues in the system…
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SALC IN THE NEWS: COURT SET UP INTIMIDATORY-JUDICIARY...
22 March 2015 The court set up and the way proceedings are conducted is intimidatory to people, including witnesses, Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda has said. The Chief Justice was speaking on Friday at a seminar for judicial officers in Blantyre…
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MALAWI@50: POLICE SWEEPING EXERCISES A CAUSE FOR CONCERN...
On 6 July 2014 Malawi celebrated 50 years of independence from British rule. Ironically, in the two weeks leading up to this momentous occasion, the Malawi Police Service used laws dating from colonial rule to, in the words of a…
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MALAWI HIGH COURT ISSUES NARROW DECISION ON STANDING...
Over 6 years after hearing arguments, the Constitutional Court in Malawi issued in February a unanimous decision in Constitutional-Court-Judgment, a challenge to section 17 of the Married Women Property Rights, which has resulted in women being dispossessed of property when getting…
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SUPREME COURT OF CANADA CHAMPIONS SEX WORKERS’ RIGHTS...
On 20 December 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada made a significant ruling relating to the rights of sex workers. In the case of Canada (Attorney General) v Bedford, a unanimous nine-panel Supreme Court bench ruled that various prostitution laws were…
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SALC PARTICIPATES IN AFRICAN COMMISSION REGIONAL SEMINAR ON KEY HUMAN RIGHTS ISS...
From 3 to 5 October 2013, SALC participated in a Regional Consultative Seminar on “Key Human Rights Issues Affecting Women Living with HIV in Africa” in Dakar, Senegal. The regional seminar was organised by the African Commission on Human and…
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LIVING ON THE EARNINGS OF SEX WORK IN MALAWI – A TYPICAL TALE OF MISINTERPRETI...
To be clear, no provision in the Malawi Penal Code criminalises the selling of sexual services by a sex worker. Yet, some police officers in Malawi appear to be operating under the assumption that sex work is illegal. This assumption is based…
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SALC Research Report: No justice for the poor: A preliminary study of enforcemen...
Globally, there has been an increase in the implementation of laws which limit the behaviour, actions and movements of persons in public spaces. This greatly impedes the lives and livelihoods of those living in poverty and further perpetuates discrimination of…
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US SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN ANTI-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE...
The US Supreme Court yesterday struck down a requirement that organisations receiving any amount of PEPFAR funding sign an explicit policy opposing prostitution, known as the anti-prostitution pledge. The court held that the anti-prostitution pledge violated the right to free speech under the First Amendment of…
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HOLDING POLICE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR SYSTEMIC ABUSE OF SEX WORKERS...
[caption id="attachment_2923" align="alignnone" width="239"] Victor Mhango at a workshop in Blantyre on 13 June 2013[/caption] It is common knowledge that the criminalisation of activities related to sex work places sex workers at risk of abuse from the police. This is…
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SALC IN THE NEWS: KASONKOMONA WINS FIRST ROUND BATTLE...
Ground Up Zambian activist Paul Kasonkomona has won an important first round in his court battle. In an interview on Zambian television in April he called for the recognition of gay and lesbian rights, as well as the rights of…
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SALC IN THE NEWS: HOMOSEXUAL CASE REFERRED TO HIGH COURT...
The Lusaka Magistrate’s Court ruled today that the criminal case against HIV activist Paul Kasonkomona should be transferred to the High Court for a hearing on the constitutional issues raised by the defence around the freedom of expression. Kasonkomona was…
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