CRIDOC was established with the overall goal of creating access to information on child rights & related issues in Malawi and beyond. It is largely for this reason why the institution supports the on-going efforts to have a freedom of information law enacted in Malawi.

The organsiation's Director, George Mwika Kayange, recently ran a column in The Malawi News entitled "Know About Acess to Information Bill" which aimed to help raise awareness about, and encourage debate on, key issues relating to the Access to Information Bill.

Prior to writing the column, Mwika also worked as a consultant at the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) where he managed the Access to Information Request Project starting from May 2007. This was a regional project covering five countries namely, Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. Learn more about the project here»

He has also previously worked as Research and Information Officer for the National Media Institute of Southern Africa (NAMISA), the Malawi chapter of MISA, where he was responsible for, among other things, implementation of the Access to Information Project. Among his key achievements, he contributed towards securing support (funds) from the American Embassy for the implementation of the same; as well as for the first time convincing UNICEF to partner with NAMISA on capacitating Malawi media to effectively disseminate information related to children’s welfare – specifically on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmissions (PMCTC) issues.

At CRIDOC, however, we believe that the child will be one of the most important beneficiaries of the draft Access to Information Bill, when it is finally enacted, as it will enhance children's right to access information necessary for their physical and psychological development.

The column received encouraging feedback from the public, including students in the university. Enlarge Photo to read clearly!

CRIDOC is mindful of the fact that society often tends to forget that children also have the right to enjoy not only their right to access information, but should also be protected from certain types of information that could be deemed harmful for their development as they exercise this right. Yet the Bill, in its present state, does not make any attempt to define what sort of information should, or should not, be accessed by children either directly from public corridors or through the media. It is indeed in this context why CRIDOC is interested to participate in the campaign on access to nformation in Malawi, so that the new law responds to the specific needs of all groups of people equally. Again, that is also why among many projects that CRIDOC intends to implement in the near future, one of them will be the Right to Information Youth Forum (RIYF) project. To learn more about the concept, you may access the "Programmes & Activities" Page Here» to check on the list of CRIDOC's project concepts in the pipeline.

When we talk of the children's right to information, we should consider the importance of broader and more equitable access in order to harness the tremendous potential of enhancing the education of children as well as the welfare of their families, while at the same time protecting them from harmful information.

When we think in terms of the information that children may access directly from the public authorities or from the various media outlets, how do we ensure that such information is neither misleading nor corruptive for children? Thus it is vital to our children's development that the environment we create and provide for them is truly responsive to their needs, stimulating, and at best, enlightening. Media professionals should recognise that freedom of expression must go hand in hand with other fundamental human rights, including freedom from exploitation and intimidation.

Marian Koren, author of “Tell Me! The Right of the Child to Information,” argues that a general right to information, which provides for the right to inform oneself from generally available sources and to educate oneself as a human being, should be acknowledged for the sake of children as well, and should be enshrined explicitly in international treaties and other human rights instruments and be implemented in national constitutions.

Even the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) contains several references to the right to information, also in connection with children's books. The Convention acknowledges the evolving capacities of children, which give them an increasing say in their own process of development. Their participation in discussions, community activities and decision-making processes are other aspects of a child's development recognised in the Convention. All these rights presuppose information and have little meaning if they do not include a child's right to information.

On this page, you will find a series of articles that were published in The Malawi News between July 2007 and July 2008 focusing on various aspects of the Bill, aside how it will benefit children. Basically, the column sought to among other things educate the readers about the need for having an "all-inclusive" freedom of information law enacted in Malawi.

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