Activists urged not to falter in promoting LGBTQI, other rights
The Art and Global Health Center Africa has urged all relevant stakeholders to take role in promoting human rights, including those of LGBTQI people, highlighting that every person has the right to privacy in the country.
The Organization’s Executive Director, Rodger Kumalire Phiri, addressed the impact assessment of a recent constitutional case on LGBTQI rights in Malawi during a symposium at Boadzulu Resort in Mangochi District.
Kumalire Phiri expressed concerns over the misinterpretation of the court’s judgement by journalists, social media platforms, and the public, resulting in the marginalization of minority groups from accessing essential services such as healthcare, justice, and social inclusion.
He stressed the need to engage journalists, social media influencers and activists to ensure accurate information dissemination amongst Malawians.
“We thought it wise to engage media to correct the narrative that are in the public domain. Several people including media misunderstood the judgement, describing it as a new law which has resulted into several service providers denying social services to this minority group.
These people are being denied justice system as well as health services system, so we thought that media is key as far as correcting narrative of the same because they has been misreporting and misinformation in the mainstream media as well as social media platforms,” said Phiri.
Phiri shared findings from a study indicating the myriad challenges faced by LGBTQI members, including social, psychological, economic harm, hate crimes, and physical harm, especially after the constitutional court upheld the country’s ban on same-sex sexual conduct among consenting adults.
“This symposium was to discuss how best we can move forward together by putting the narrative straight. During the meeting we observed misreporting and misinformation in both mainstream and social media including activists as well,” said Phiri.
Recommendations from the study include the formation of an LGBTIQ coalition, organizing legal empowerment workshops, creating contingency plans for potential court case outcomes, providing media training, promoting economic empowerment, and enhancing personal security measures.
By leveraging the arts through initiatives like Artglo and the Umunthu inclusive societies project, the aim is to foster creative leadership, spark crucial conversations, and drive impactful actions.
The symposium sought to raise awareness about the struggles of the LGBTQI community post the constitutional court case and explore collaborative approaches for advocating human rights in Malawi amidst public demonstrations and backlash.
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