The Malawi Police Service--constitutionally mandated to protect citizens--has been exposed as the country's leading perpetrator of human rights violations, in a damning National Statistical Office (NSO) survey that lays bare a justice system in deep moral and institutional decay.
According to the 2025 NSO survey on justice and accountability, 10.6 percent of respondents nationwide identified the police as the main abusers of human rights, making them the single most frequently reported violators--ahead of courts, prosecutors and other public officers. For many Malawians, the first encounter with the State is not protection or service, but abuse, fear and impunity.
Even more troubling, the report shows women bear the brunt of State abuse. 11.2 percent of women reported violations by police compared to 10 percent of men, while courts--supposed to be neutral arbiters--were cited by 5.6 percent of women, more than double the 2.6 percent of men. Similar gender gaps run through complaints against prosecutors, probation officers and State advocates, exposing a justice system that is particularly hostile to women.
Yet when confronted with these findings, the police response was silence.
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The Malawi Police Service declined to comment, claiming it had not officially received the report--despite it being publicly available on the NSO website. The refusal to engage only deepens public suspicion of an institution that appears more comfortable denying, delaying or deflecting than accepting accountability.
The report's figures are stark. Beyond police abuses, other public officers accounted for 6.0 percent of reported violations, courts 4.2 percent, and prosecutors 3.8 percent. While state advocates and probation officers were cited less frequently, rights experts warn that their inclusion at all is a red flag--proof that the rot runs through the entire justice chain.
Human rights defenders say the findings confirm what citizens have long known.
Centre for Human Rights Education Advice and Assistance executive director Victor Mhango said the police's prominence in the report points to systemic failure, not isolated misconduct.
"Abuses at the point where citizens first encounter the State--unlawful arrests, torture, extortion, excessive force, denial of due process--shape public trust in the entire justice system," Mhango said.
"This reflects a failure of the State to respect, protect and fulfil rights. It signals compromised independence, fairness and due process, and suggests impunity where wrongdoing goes unpunished."
The implications are devastating: weak oversight, normalised abuse, and a collapse of checks and balances meant to protect ordinary people.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa was equally scathing, warning that the findings expose abuse of power and entrenched impunity within law enforcement.
"Equally troubling is the implication of prosecutors, courts and other public officers," Kaiyatsa said. "These institutions are meant to safeguard citizens, not victimize them. Their inclusion points to structural weaknesses, political interference, capacity constraints--and in some cases, corruption."
Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira went further, arguing that when police and courts are named as perpetrators, the problem is no longer misconduct--it is institutionalised injustice.
"This signals deeply entrenched impunity, weak oversight and politicisation of justice," Kambwandira said. "Sadly, it is the poor common man who pays the price. This erodes public trust and normalises abuse against the powerless."
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The NSO survey sampled 1,000 households and 4,306 adults across selected districts in all three regions, producing national and regional estimates. While financial constraints limited its scope, rights groups say the findings are too consistent--and too damning--to ignore.
Yet, as the evidence mounts, accountability remains elusive. National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo said she had not seen the report. The Judiciary acknowledged receipt of questions but did not respond.
For many citizens, the message is chillingly clear: the institutions meant to uphold justice are instead undermining it, and when the police--the first line of State authority--are named as the worst abusers, the crisis is no longer hidden.
It is exposed, quantified and undeniable.
