Human Rights Commission- Zambia

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Human Rights Commission- Zambia The HRC has the mandate of ensuring that the Bill of Rights is upheld and protected. They serve a three year period subject to renewal.

HRC-Z is a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) established under Article 230 (1) of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 with an overall mandate of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. ABOUT US
The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is a National Human Rights Institution established pursuant to Article 230 of the 1991 Constitution of Zambia as amended by Act No 18 of 1996 and Act No 2 of 2016. Article 230 of the Constitution specifically mandates the Commission to:
โ€ข investigate and report on the observance of rights and freedoms;
โ€ข take necessary steps to secure appropriate redress where rights and freedoms are violated;
โ€ข endeavour to resolve a dispute through negotiation, mediation or conciliation;
โ€ข carry out research on rights and freedoms and related matters;
โ€ข conduct civic education on rights and freedoms; and
โ€ข perform such other functions as prescribed. The function, powers, composition, funding and administrative procedures, including the employment of staff, of the Human Rights Commission are prescribed under the HRC Act, Chapter 48 of the Laws of Zambia. POWERS OF HRC
โ€ข Issue summons or orders requiring the attendance of any authority before the commission or the production of any document or record relevant to any investigations by HRC
โ€ข Question any person in respect of any subject matter under investigations by HRC
โ€ข Require any person to disclose any information within such personโ€™s knowledge relevant to any investigations by HRC
โ€ข Recommend the punishment of any officers found by the Commission to have perpetrated an abuse of human rights
THE COMMISSION
HRC comprises seven (7) Commissioners who are appointed by the President subject to ratification by the National Assembly. The Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson are appointed from the seven Commissioners. SECRETARIAT
The secretariat is headed by a Director and assisted by a Deputy Director. DEPARTMENTS
HRC has the following departments:
โ€ข INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND TRAINING
โ€ข INVESTIGATIONS AND LEGAL SERVICES
โ€ข RESEARCH AND PLANNING
SECTIONS
The commission has the following sections:
โ€ข HUMAN RESOURCE AND ADMINISTRATION
โ€ข FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

UNITS
The commission has the following Units:
โ€ข PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLIES UNIT
โ€ข INTERNAL AUDIT
โ€ข MONITORING AND EVALUATION
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN (OCC)
HRC also has set up an office to specifically promote and protect childrenโ€™s rights

CHILD JUSTICE WEEK | OCTOBER 5โ€“9, 2026If you suspect a child is being exploited, report the concern to the police. For...
07/10/2026

CHILD JUSTICE WEEK | OCTOBER 5โ€“9, 2026

If you suspect a child is being exploited, report the concern to the police. For child-focused support, call Childline 116.




๐‡๐‘๐‚-๐™ ๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐–๐š๐ฅ๐คThe Human Rights Commission - Zambia (HRC-Z) today joined other stakeh...
06/10/2026

๐‡๐‘๐‚-๐™ ๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐–๐š๐ฅ๐ค

The Human Rights Commission - Zambia (HRC-Z) today joined other stakeholders in an awareness walk in Lusaka to mark the commencement of Child Justice Week 2026.

The walk, held under the theme โ€œProtecting Children in Digital Spaces: Confronting Online Exploitation, Harmful Exposure and Strengthening Child Justice Responses,โ€ was flagged off at the Supreme Court Grounds and proceeded to the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) Head Office.

Participants used the awareness walk to promote child rights and online safety, and to emphasise the need to protect children from online abuse, exploitation, cyberbullying and harmful content.

The Commission continues to call for collective action to protect childrenโ€™s rights and safety in digital spaces.

Think before you post. Do not film, publish or forward images of children who are abused, distressed or at risk. Do not ...
06/10/2026

Think before you post. Do not film, publish or forward images of children who are abused, distressed or at risk. Do not share their names, schools, locations or case details.





๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐™๐š๐ฆ๐›๐ข๐š ๐–๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐“๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š ๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐“๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฌโ€™ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ!
05/10/2026

๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐™๐š๐ฆ๐›๐ข๐š ๐–๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐“๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š ๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐“๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฌโ€™ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ!

๐‡๐‘๐‚ ๐“๐š๐ค๐ž๐ฌ ๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐’๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง-๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐žThe Human Rights Commission - Zambia (HRC-Z) has taken hu...
05/10/2026

๐‡๐‘๐‚ ๐“๐š๐ค๐ž๐ฌ ๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐’๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง-๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž

The Human Rights Commission - Zambia (HRC-Z) has taken human rights education to learners in selected schools in North-Western Province as part of a six-day sensitisation programme held from 26th September to 1st October 2026.

The programme brought the Commission closer to communities through school engagements and radio programmes aimed at helping people, particularly children, understand their rights and responsibilities.

On 28th September 2026, the Commission conducted a sensitisation meeting at Kakilufya Primary School in Mufumbwe District, where 217 pupils were engaged on their rights and responsibilities.

HRC-Z Complaints and Investigations Officer for North-Western Province, Leah Mulenga, encouraged the learners to enjoy their rights responsibly while respecting the rights of others.

She reminded the pupils that knowing their rights should also come with an understanding of their responsibilities towards their fellow learners, teachers, parents and other members of the community.

The Head-Teacher at Kakilufya Primary School, Mr. Elias Mutukwa, thanked the Commission for taking the time to visit the school and engage the learners on human rights.

The school engagements continued on 29th September 2026, when the Commission met pupils from Pokola Primary School and Pokola Secondary School in Kabompo District in separate sensitisation sessions.

Before engaging the learners, the Commission, led by Senior Education and Training Officer Ms. Lucy Bwalya Munthali paid a courtesy call on Kabompo District Education Board Secretary, Mr. Sylvester Lumbwe, who welcomed the initiative and called for more human rights education activities in schools.

โ€œWe want more of this education about human rights for our learners,โ€ Mr. Lumbwe said.

The Commission also used community radio to extend the human rights message to a wider audience during the six-day programme. It featured on Kabangabanga Radio in Solwezi, Mufumbwe Community Radio Station in Mufumbwe and Kabompo Radio Station in Kabompo.

The radio engagements reinforced the message shared with learners, with discussions focusing on human rights and responsibilities and the importance of respecting the rights of others.

The sensitisation programme is part of the Commissionโ€™s efforts to take human rights education closer to communities and create greater awareness of human rights, particularly among children and young people.

๐‚๐‡๐ˆ๐‹๐ƒ ๐‰๐”๐’๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐„ ๐–๐„๐„๐Š | OCTOBER 5โ€“9, 2026Protect children online. Protect their dignity everywhere.
05/10/2026

๐‚๐‡๐ˆ๐‹๐ƒ ๐‰๐”๐’๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐„ ๐–๐„๐„๐Š | OCTOBER 5โ€“9, 2026
Protect children online. Protect their dignity everywhere.

๐‡๐‘๐‚-๐™ ๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Ž๐ฅ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐„๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐žOn 1st October 2026, the Human Rights Co...
02/10/2026

๐‡๐‘๐‚-๐™ ๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Ž๐ฅ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐„๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž

On 1st October 2026, the Human Rights Commission - Zambia (HRC-Z) joined stakeholders in commemorating the International Day of Older Persons, which was held at Mpala in Feni Village, Chipata, Eastern Province, under the theme โ€œThe Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives.โ€

The event was officiated by Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Mr. Paul Benjamin Thole, as the Guest of Honour and attended by Chipata Mayor Mr. Johnstone Silungwe and other stakeholders.

During the event, Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting older persons through programmes, including the Social Cash Transfer and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Selected older persons who attended the commemoration also received gift hampers.

The commemoration highlighted the contribution of older persons and the importance of protecting their rights, dignity and well-being.

๐ˆ๐๐“๐„๐‘๐๐€๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐€๐‹ ๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐Ž๐… ๐Ž๐‹๐ƒ๐„๐‘ ๐๐„๐‘๐’๐Ž๐๐’ Today, 1st October 2026, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) joins the nation and the r...
01/10/2026

๐ˆ๐๐“๐„๐‘๐๐€๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐€๐‹ ๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐Ž๐… ๐Ž๐‹๐ƒ๐„๐‘ ๐๐„๐‘๐’๐Ž๐๐’

Today, 1st October 2026, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) joins the nation and the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of Older Persons.

In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly declared 1st October as the International
Day of the Elderly through Resolution 45/106 to, among other reasons, mobilize action to protect the human rights of older persons and combat ageism, neglect, abuse and discrimination.

The UN estimates that by 2050, there will be over 2 billion older persons aged 60 and above globally.

This yearโ€™s theme: โ€œThe Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,โ€ underscores the imperative for governments, institutions and societies to adequately prepare for, and prioritize, the promotion and protection of the rights and dignity of older persons.

As more Zambians live longer, we must develop receptive attitude towards ageism, and expand our infrastructure and social amenities to ensure our elders are properly and adequately cared for. Growing old should never mean living in fear, being cast aside, or losing the freedom to enjoy life within our communities.

1. Stop Witchcraft Accusations and Protect Their Right to Life: Accusing older persons of practicing witchcraft because of their age, illness or memory loss can lead to the deprivation of their right to life. The right to life is sacrosanct and must be inviolably protected. Stop Killing Older Persons. They are a national heritage. Let us promote and protect their rights and dignity.
Let us acknowledge and celebrate the vital contributions of older persons to their families, communities and societies as custodians of knowledge, culture and experience. Government should strengthen measures to protect older persons from violence and killings arising from witchcraft accusations.

2. Stop Property Grabbing and Abuse: Older persons have every right to keep and enjoy the land, houses, and belongings they worked hard for all their lives. Taking away their property or neglecting them is illegal and a violation of their human rights. Families and neighbors must protect older persons from those who try to steal from them or mistreat them.

3. Help Older Persons Access Government Support: We must ensure that older persons who qualify for government help get enrolled in the Social Cash Transfer programme. Families and community leaders should assist them so they can buy food, pay for transport, and access free healthcare services. Caring for our elders is a duty and an honour for all of us.

As Zambians, let us revive our tradition of Ubuntu by showing love, respect, and care for older persons . If you witness abuse, neglect or eviction of an older person from their home, report it immediately to the nearest police station or to the Human Rights Commission through Toll Free Line 8181.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง ๐…๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐€๐ ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง Human Rights Commission-Zambia (HRC-Z) Director-Genera...
29/09/2026

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง ๐…๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐€๐ ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง

Human Rights Commission-Zambia (HRC-Z) Director-General, Ms. Mbololwa Wamunyima, has emphasised that access to information is fundamental to the fight against corruption, as it enables the public and other stakeholders to identify irregularities and bring them to the attention of relevant authorities for investigation.

Speaking at the launch of the Right to Information and Anti-Corruption in Southern Africa Study Report by Transparency International Zambia on 28 September 2026, Ms. Wamunyima said access to information promotes informed public participation and enables stakeholders to scrutinise public decisions.

She stressed that for the Access to Information Act No. 24 of 2023 to achieve its intended purpose, requesters must in practice be able to access information and have effective mechanisms to challenge refusals to disclose information that is not exempted from disclosure under the ATI Act or any written law.

Ms. Wamunyima said HRC-Z was prioritising continued public sensitisation, training of information holders and requesters, improved records management, proactive disclosure of information, and accessible complaints and appeals mechanisms to strengthen implementation of the law.

She added that making access to information meaningful required sustained collaboration among stakeholders.

The Director-General also welcomed the regional scope of the study, noting that it offered an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other Southern African countries and identify practical approaches to improving implementation.

The Commissionโ€™s participation in the study launch provided an opportunity to exchange insights and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders in advancing the right to access information.



๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งTheme: โ€œUpholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: T...
28/09/2026

๐‡๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง

Theme: โ€œUpholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder.โ€

Today, the Human Rights Commission of Zambia joins the rest of the world in commemorating the 2026 International Day for Universal Access to Information also known as the Right to Know Day.

The day is observed every year on 28th September to promote everyoneโ€™s right to access information.

In Zambia, the right to access information is protected by the Constitution, the Human Rights Commission Act No. 4 of 2024 and the Access to Information Act No. 24 of 2023.

The law gives a citizen or residence permit holder the right to request and receive information held by public and private bodies, subject to the provisions of the law.

In line with this yearโ€™s theme the Human Rights Commission calls on everyone to promote access to accurate and reliable information and to help combat misinformation and disinformation in the digital age.

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Independence Avenue
Lusaka
10101

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00

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