Providing Paralegal Aid Services at One Stop Centre (Child Protection) is a project that was initiated by CHREAA Malawi with the aim of improving the protection and delivery of justice to victims of sexual abuse in particular children. CHREAA’s overall goal in the project is to protect children who have been sexually violated, provide paralegal services, refer the cases to court, follow up on them, and ensure that the culprits are convicted, and the victims receive justice. Once cases are reported and recorded at One Stop Centre, CHREAA’s paralegal officers meet the victims and their guardians and give them legal advice on how to handle the cases to secure convictions. In 2023, the Centre registered a total of 621 cases, with 471 involving child victims. CHREAA paralegals conducted 321 face-to-face interviews with sexual abuse complainants and followed up on 123 cases for which contact details were provided. Of the total cases, 185 proceeded to trial, resulting in 91 convictions, while the remaining 94 are still pending in court.
