BarefootLaw Pledges to Promote Access to Justice in Malawi
The organization seeks to ensure that all individuals, including those from marginalized communities such as rural areas, can access justice.
Lilongwe, Malawi — BarefootLaw, an international organization advocating for legal issues, has committed to promoting access to justice in Malawi, writes Moses Nyirenda.
The organization seeks to ensure that all individuals, including those from marginalized communities such as rural areas, can access justice.
Speaking during the 'Justice Innovator Recognition Workshop' organized by BarefootLaw in partnership with the Gender and Justice Unit (GJU), Sheena Kinyana Muhwezi, Communications Associate at BarefootLaw, emphasized the organization's dedication to making justice accessible to everyone in the country.
"We believe that justice is for all regardless of educational background and all other things," Muhwezi stated.
She further explained that BarefootLaw, founded a decade ago, is committed to engaging communities by providing legal information to help people understand legal issues and access justice when needed.
The organization is also keen on using technological tools, including phones, to disseminate legal information to communities, with the aim of reaching as many people as possible.
Muhwezi added that through its local partner, GJU, they plan to collaborate with community-based groups across the country that promote access to justice in their respective communities.
During the 'Justice Innovator Recognition Workshop,' BarefootLaw and GJU recognized three community-based organizations—Hub 22, Youth Response for Social Change, and Chikulamayembe Women's Forum—by awarding them each $1,000 in appreciation of their outstanding efforts in advocating for access to justice within their communities.
The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) Commissioner, Scader Louis, who was present at the workshop, commended BarefootLaw and GJU for their initiatives.
"It is exciting that there are many people using innovation to bring justice to those who have been left behind. We are thankful to BarefootLaw and GJU for honouring our heroes, people who are doing quite a lot in communities and sacrificing a lot in the process," she expressed.
Louis also encouraged other organisations to emulate BarefootLaw and GJU's efforts to ensure that justice is accessible to everyone in the country.