Malawi Legal Chatbot

In Malawi, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence, and many face child marriage—while fewer than 1,000 lawyers serve a population of 22 million. To bridge this gap, the Oxford Institute for Technology and Justice and the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi (WLA) are piloting an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot that provides plain-language legal information and routes users to vetted WLA lawyers for free assistance. The tool is designed for rapid, real-time support when it is needed most.

The Malawi Legal Chatbot meets users and frontline responders where they already communicate—on WhatsApp—to deliver concise, vetted guidance and timely referrals. First responders (teachers, healthcare workers, police, shelter staff) and at-risk users can ask scenario-based questions and receive clear explanations of rights and procedures, along with suggested next steps.

When a matter requires professional assistance, the chatbot connects the user to vetted WLA lawyers available to provide free legal support. The routing model is designed to minimize delays between initial outreach and contact with counsel, a critical factor in time-sensitive protection matters.

The pilot emphasizes safety and conservative scope. The chatbot provides legal information, not legal advice; it relies on a curated corpus maintained with partners; and it defaults to referral when questions exceed safe self-help. Data collection is minimal, and the experience is tailored for readability and low-bandwidth environments.

Programmatically, the chatbot aims to increase timely access to rights-protecting interventions while reducing the burden on under-resourced first responders. Evaluation focuses on successful connections to WLA lawyers, user comprehension, and time-to-assist metrics, with attention to language accessibility and platform reliability.