Stella Twea
Stella Twea | |
|---|---|
 in 2021 | |
| Education | University of Malawi, University of Zimbabwe |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Employer | Malawi Human Rights Commission |
| Known for | Human Rights Commissioner |
Stella Twea is a Malawian women's rights expert who is a Malawi Human Rights Commissioner.
Biography
[edit]Twea graduated from the University of Malawi with a degree in Education and later obtained a master's degree in Women’s Law from the University of Zimbabwe. She worked as a secondary school teacher.[1]
Inspired by the details of a particular case, Twea established the Centre for Alternatives for Victimized Women and Children (CAVWOC) in 1998. She founded the organisation using money she had set aside for her pension.[2]
In 2019, Malawi's President Peter Mutharika appointed Twea, along with Dr Sunduzwayo Madise, Boniface Massa, Dr Bertha Sefu, Scader Louis, Chiyamwaka, and Rev. Cecilia Kotia, as members of the seventh cohort of human rights commissioners. The commision was completed by Law Commissioner and Ombudsman Martha Chizuma.[3]
In 2021, Twea was involved in a high-profile case concerning sexual harassment at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. Her investigation confirmed the allegations of harassment and recommended compensation for those affected.[4] She also recommended that the corporation's director, Aubrey Sumbuleta, be prosecuted under the Gender Equality Act.[5] Lawyer Sarai Chisala said that the corporation itself was liable because it had been aware of the issue but allowed the abuse to continue.[4]
President Lazarus Chakwera had expressed the need for a database of women who could be considered for presidential appointments. Twea created a database containing women with postgraduate degrees, which would be periodically updated.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Law profiles - Profiling Women Malawi". profilingwomenmw.org. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "CAVWOC | About". cavwoc.org. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "'Professor of breaking the law?' Mutharika in MHRC appointments mess, urged to hire new commissioners". 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 "Malawi's human rights commission recommends compensation for women sexually harassed by country's broadcasting boss – AfricanLII". africanlii.org (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Sumbuleta found guilty of sexual abuse at MBC: MHRC probe calls for prosecution". 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Commissioner Stella Twea from Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says..." The Nation (via Facebook). 8 March 2022.