REPUBLIC OF MALAWI PERIODIC REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE'S RIGHTS AND THE MAPUTO PROTOCOL MAY 2015 TO MARCH 2019 LIST OF ACRONYMS African Charter on Human and People’s Rights ACHPR African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child ACRWC Child Labour Elimination in Action for Real Change CLEAR Clean Development Mechanisms CDM Community Based Management of Acute Nutrition CBMAC Complementary Basic Education CBE Concluding Observations CoBs Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination CERD Convention on the Rights of the Child CRC District Heal Office DHO District Peace Committees DPC Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation ECLT Essential Health Package EHP Infant and Young Child Feeding ICHF Integrated Rural Development Strategy IRDS Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority MCRA Malawi Computer Energy Response Team MCERT Malawi Human Rights Commission MHRC Malawi Law Commission MLC Malawi Peace Commission MPC Malawi Public Service Charter MPSC National Agricultural Investment Plan NAIP National Agricultural Policy NAP National Multi-Sector Nutrition Policy NMNP National Planning Commission NPC Non-Communicable Disease NCD Non-Governmental Organisation NGO Organisation of African Unity OAU ii Payments for Ecosystem Services PES Primary School Improvement Programme PSIP Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation REDFD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity UNCBD United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC Youth Net and Counselling YONECO iii Contents INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 PART A ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHARTER SINCE 2015 ........................................................................... 2 General Update ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Legislative Framework ............................................................................................................................. 3 Constitutional amendment on the age of the child – 2017 .................................................................... 3 Access to Information Act – 2017 ......................................................................................................... 4 HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Management) Act – 2018 .......................................................................... 4 Trafficking in Persons Act 2015 ............................................................................................................ 5 Marriage Divorce and Family Relations Act 2015 ............................................................................... 5 National Planning Commission Act 2017 ............................................................................................. 6 Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act – 2016 ...................................................................... 6 Courts Amendment Act 2016................................................................................................................. 7 Land Act 2016 ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Customary Land Act 2016..................................................................................................................... 8 Physical Planning Act 2016 .................................................................................................................. 8 Land Survey Act 2016 ........................................................................................................................... 9 Political Parties Act 2018 ................................................................................................................... 10 National Intelligence Service Act 2018 ............................................................................................... 11 Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 ....................................................................................................... 12 Policy Framework ............................................................................................................................... 12 National Cultural Policy 2015............................................................................................................. 12 The Gender Equality Act Implementation and Monitoring Plan (2016-2020) ................................... 13 National Forest Policy 2016 ............................................................................................................... 13 National Agriculture Policy 2016 ....................................................................................................... 14 National Agriculture Investment Plan 2018 ....................................................................................... 16 National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2016 ............................................................................... 17 Malawi Growth and Development Strategy – 2017 -2022 .................................................................. 18 National Action Plan on Persons with Albinism – 2018 – 2020 ......................................................... 18 iv Handbook for Investigators, Prosecutors and Magistrates concerning offences against Person with albinism ............................................................................................................................................... 19 National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan 2018 – 2023 ........................ 19 National Peace Policy 2017 ................................................................................................................ 19 Accelerating Inclusive Local Governance and Participatory Democracy for Effective Social Economic Development 2017 to 2023 ................................................................................................ 20 National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons – 2017 – 2022 ......................................................... 20 National Multi Sector Nutrition Policy 2018-2022 ............................................................................. 21 Health Sector Strategic Plan II – 2017-2022 ...................................................................................... 22 National Health Policy 2018 - 2030 ................................................................................................... 24 National Strategy for Adolescent Girls and Young Women 2018-2022.............................................. 25 National Strategy on ending child marriages 2018 - 2022 ................................................................. 25 National Policy for Older Persons 2016 ............................................................................................. 26 National Strategy on Inclusive Education 2016 to 2020 .................................................................... 28 National Public Sector Reforms Policy 2018 to 2022 ........................................................................ 30 Public Service Management Policy 2018 to 2022 .............................................................................. 31 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2015 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS AND ARTICLES OF THE CHARTER .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Article 1-Ratification and Domestication of International Instruments .................................................. 32 Article 4 - The Right to Life and the Integrity of the Person .................................................................. 33 Table 1: Death of Prisoners from January 2014 to September, 2018:…………………………………. .... 34 Article 5 - Prohibition of Torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment ................................. 34 Article 6 and 7 - Access to Justice, Right to Liberty and Security of Persons, Fair Trial Rights, and conditions of detention ............................................................................................................................ 36 Table 2: Camp Courts Statistics in 2016 - Source: Malawi Judiciary .................................................. 37 Table 3: Prison Population versus design capacity: Source: Malawi Prison Service ............................ 38 Table 4A: Measures Employed to Address Overcrowding in Prisons –………………………….. ....... 40 Table 4B: Presidential Pardons – Source: Malawi Prison Service ......................................................... 40 Article 9 - Freedom of Expression and Access to Information ............................................................... 41 Article 10 and 11 - Freedom of Association and Assembly ................................................................... 42 Article 12 – Right to Movement, Rights for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.......................................... 42 v Table 5: Refugee Population Registered as at May 2018, (Refugee Determination Unit Statistics) ...... 46 Table 6: Number of asylum seekers not registered as at May, 2018………………………