By Mphatso Nkuonera
Lilongwe, December 26, Mana: Increased cases of human trafficking in some parts of the country needs immediate intervention from various stakeholders to rescue the productive human resource before it is exploited.
Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) made this statement at Kasiya in Lilongwe during an awareness campaign on the impacts of human trafficking, common in the bordering districts.
EAM’s Church Relations and Gender Project Coordinator, Rev. Timothy Zimba said poverty, ignorance and unemployment are some push factors worsening the situation while cheap labour is the pull factor that lure people to fall victims of the practice.
“We appeal for collaborated efforts to curb the malpractice, most of the trafficked victims come mainly from Blantyre, Mchinji, Lilongwe, Salima, Kasungu, Dowa and Dedza districts.
“Our study has revealed that the perpetrators are Malawians who have been residing in Zambia and Mozambique doing casual labour and are sent home by their masters to help them in recruiting people,” Zimba said.
He said that there are also reports indicating that Masters report the victims to Police and Immigration who in turn arrest them as illegal immigrants.
“We have reports that the victims are subjected to ill treatment such as physical and emotional abuses, and that they are not fully supported with food, and when they are about to finish their contracts (about to receive their wages), the victims are told to leave without wages.
Speaking to Mana, Traditional Authority (TA) Kabudula has advised parents to stop encouraging youths to go and work in farms.
“The practice has not spared my area, boys and girls abandon school and go to herd livestock and work in tobacco farms. I am saddened with reports that most of them come back home unpaid and share with us persecuting experiences they were exposed to,” she said.
With K150 million funding from Norwegian Church Aid, EAM has been implementing a project called ‘Strengthening the prevention of gender based violence-a faith based approach’ to among others address human rights violations in the society.
Malawi Network Against Trafficking (MNAT) National Coordinator, Caleb Thole bemoaned high levels of trafficking in persons saying there are many victims trapped in modern day slavery despite having good policies.
“Covid 19 has worsened the situation because many cases in court have stalled. We do not have enough funding to fight and lack of shelters is among other hiccups.
“We need training to have the front-liners like non-government organizations, immigration, Police and Labour Officials and the Judiciary imparted with skills and knowledge on how to handle cases of this nature as they are very complex,” he said.
In Dowa, TAs Msakambewa, Dzoole and Sub TA Chipeni and Lilongwe TAs Kabudula, Chimutu, Mazengera, Chiseka and of late Khongoni and Kalolo have benefited from the project.
Some of the affected districts include Blantyre, Dedza, Kasungu and Salima according to the report by EAM with Mchinji and Lilongwe coming first and second respectively.
Community Policing Coordinator for Lilongwe Police Station, Inspector Malango Mwansinga, says many girls are getting pregnant, contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections or even die without parents back home being informed an indication that Human Trafficking is very evil and must not have space in the modern world.
Organized by EAM as a continuation of the 16 days of Activism, Pastors from the six Pastors Fraternals in the area and traditional leaders attended the event which was facilitated by the Victim Support Units of the Malawi Police Service from Mchinji Police Station and Area 3 Police Station in Lilongwe.