Safety and Security

Prior to the June 28, 2024 constitutional court judgement the Social Justice Foundation (SJF) together with the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) conducted a safety and security training for various stakeholders.

The physical safety and digital security training was a precautionary measure pending the case in which Jan Willem Akstar and Jana Gonani filed an appeal to challenge the constitutionality of Section 153, 154 and 156 of the country’s constitution that criminalises same-sex relationships drew attention from the gender public.

As a proactive approach Cedep knew they will be repercussions on the LGBTIQ+ community regardless of the outcome.

The training brought together key populations from different organisations in the country.

The ruling was quite significant in the sense that, this was the first time the “unnatural offence” law – Malawi’s only anti-homosexuality legislation – had been legally challenged on its constitutionality, making the case a crucial one in the fight for LGBTIQ rights in the country.