Briton, Malawian in Guardianship Crisis: Malawi Human Rights NGOs Where are you?

A Malawian national presently resident in The Gambia is currently seeking redress through the courts of law to enable him re-join his biological parents in Malawi .

Richard Chirwa, 22, was brought into The Gambia in 1990 by a Briton when he was a teenager. But his surrogate father and guardian, Mr Muhammed Collyer, proprietor of Malawi Bar and Restaurant situated behind the American Embassy, was said to have repudiated his legal responsibility as surrogate father and guardian and as result, Richard cried foul.

Now the matter has reached the corridors of justice as Richard sues to regularise his stay in The Gambia, secure proper arrangements for his return to his native land as well as demanding his adoption documents. He was also demanding from his guardian the address of his parents as he was brought to The Gambia when he was at the age of six. He had also taken the matter to the doorstep of the Social Welfare Department where corrective action should be taken.

Richard earlier on informed the court that he was undergoing a traumatic phase as a result of being rejected by his legal guardian. He further informed the court, presided over by magistrate Mbackeh at the Kanifing Magistrate’s Court, that he was unable to complete school because Mr Collier had not been paying his school fees. To make the matters worse, according to him, he was denied the right to return to Malawi where his parents were.

Meanwhile, Mr Collier earlier on had a meeting with the authorities of the Social Welfare Department where was told to look after Richard but he informed the meeting that he had no money and didn’t want to have anything to do with his ward.

While all this is happening, it seems there is no assistance being rendered to him from the Malawi Human Rights organizations who claim to be representing the rights of those deemed endangered.

A concerned Citizen of the Gambia wondered why there was more talk by the NGOs when it comes to David Banda's adoption by Maddona and yet cannot help one of their own.