Human Trafficking in [Malawi Street Children in [Malawi] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Malawi] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
first ten years of the 21st Century -
2000 to 2009
Malawi is a source, transit, and
destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes
of forced labor and sexual exploitation. The incidence of internal
trafficking is believed higher than that of transnational trafficking, and
practices such as forced labor exist, particularly on tobacco plantations.
Children are trafficked primarily within the country for forced labor in
agriculture, animal herding, domestic servitude, and to perform forced menial
tasks for small businesses. Girls and young women are trafficked internally
for forced labor and prostitution at local bars and rest houses. - U.S.
State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Malawi’s rating on human trafficking ‘mistake’ www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=7543 Malawi’s rating as Tier 1 in this
year’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report is misleading and does not reflect
the reality on the ground, officials from the Centre for Social Concern
(CFSC) have said. However, officials from CFSC
briefing the press in Lilongwe last week said the Tier 1 classification is a
mistake because Malawi has not done much in human trafficking to warrant
first position. Christopher Boyer of
CFSC said in the first place Malawi has no anti-trafficking legislation in
place and neither does it have shelters for trafficked victims. Boyer also criticized the report for
commending the Malawi government for recruiting 400 child protection officers
who work in all the districts and recognizing victims of trafficking because
these officers are not actually doing the work. Child Prostitution worsens in Cities She said for Blantyre,
the children are picked from their parental homes in Zomba,
Thyolo, Nsanje and Chiradzulu after brothel owners pay some money to parents
of the children. “They give the
parents K1,000 and tell them that the children will
be employed in restaurants,” said Mtisunge. ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children work in crop production on tea estates and on commercial
tobacco farms, where the incidence of working children has traditionally been
high. Bonded labor has historically
been common among tobacco tenants and their families, including children. There are also reports that young girls
have been traded or sold among tribal chiefs along the border with Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The law does
not prohibit trafficking in persons specifically, and trafficking was a
problem. Although the extent of human trafficking was undocumented, the
government made efforts to combat trafficking and used existing laws to
prosecute cases of child trafficking for agricultural labor exploitation. The
penal code contains several provisions relating to prostitution and indecency
that could be used to prosecute traffickers. Since 2001, seven cases
involving trafficking in persons have been prosecuted. On September 24, two
citizens and a foreigner were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment with
hard labor for kidnapping. The three men were arrested in September while
attempting to smuggle five young boys across the border into The country is a source and
transit point for women and children trafficked for sexual purposes locally
and to brothels abroad, particularly in Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2002 [63] The Committee is also
concerned at information on alleged instances of trafficking in children and
at the possible use of inter-country adoption for the purpose of trafficking. Malawi’s rating on human trafficking ‘mistake’ www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=7543 Malawi’s rating as Tier 1 in this
year’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report is misleading and does not reflect
the reality on the ground, officials from the Centre for Social Concern
(CFSC) have said. However, officials from CFSC
briefing the press in Lilongwe last week said the Tier 1 classification is a
mistake because Malawi has not done much in human trafficking to warrant
first position. Christopher Boyer of
CFSC said in the first place Malawi has no anti-trafficking legislation in
place and neither does it have shelters for trafficked victims. Boyer also criticized the report for
commending the Malawi government for recruiting 400 child protection officers
who work in all the districts and recognizing victims of trafficking because
these officers are not actually doing the work. Malawi: Government Intensifies Campaign Against Child Labour www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75626 allafrica.com/stories/200711301030.html POVERTY - While recognising
the efforts by government and its development partners to combat human
trafficking and child labour, Banda said,
"Increasing the number of child protection officers without dealing with
what drives thousands of our children into exploitative labour
will not solve the problem. These children are compelled to work in estates
because of poverty and, to a large extent, because they either have one or no
parent at all." -
htpv Human trafficking syndicate exposed www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=7047 An intricate system of human
trafficking exists in the country involving Malawians and Nigerians who
traffic mainly women and children to as far as Europe. Most of the victims of trafficking
in NGOs Work
To Eradicate Human Trafficking, Help Victims U.S.-funded nongovernmental
organizations around the world are working to prevent human trafficking,
provide resources to victims and arrest and prosecute child-sex offenders.
From Africa to Europe to Asia, initiatives are raising worldwide awareness of
the illegal practice of human trafficking. PROVIDING
RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS - In Malawi, police officers specially trained to recognize child
victims of exploitation, including trafficking, are raising community
awareness and helping grassroots organizations provide reintegration
assistance for victims. Nearly 400 child protection officers in the country’s
27 local government districts are serving a critical role by monitoring
communities for signs of trafficking, and they identify about half of the
reported trafficking cases in Malawi. Mozambican gets 6 years for human trafficking Sauka in an interview yesterday said Katundu entered the country on October 1 accompanied by a
boy aged 17 whom he convinced that he would be paid handsomely after helping
him carry some clothes he was going to buy in Zomba. “But his going to Zomba
was in search of a human market. Last month, police in Zomba arrested three people suspected to have removed
private parts of a boy in the district. Their motive has not been established
yet but they are currently on remand at the Zomba
Maximum Prison awaiting trial. Human
trafficking is a reality in Malawi In order to combat the
multifaceted problem of human trafficking, interventions must be
multi-disciplinary and multi sectoral. They must
among others include; the legal sector -implementing all international human
rights conventions and treaties, developing regional and bilateral MOU’s with neighbouring
countries on prevention and detection of trafficking, strengthening the
national legal framework through the development of specific anti-trafficking
laws and regulations, and strengthening law enforcement through active
prosecution of trafficking offenders. Also the social welfare and health
sector -improving access to high quality and appropriate social and
protection services for trafficking victims, providing health services to
those infected with diseases etc; community based initiatives - supporting
small income-generating projects in village communities; gender
mainstreaming- raising awareness about gender sensitivity within the court
systems, and among police and other law enforcement officials, as well as
raising awareness on the issues throughout the general public; And the education sector -
increasing awareness about human trafficking by providing education for all.
Improving the existing educational systems and ensure vocational and
technical education structures and mechanisms accessible to out of school
youth. Provide relevant education and training for labour
markets, particularly to youth in areas of high mobility and/or vulnerable
groups; the migration sector - strengthening cross-border initiatives,
enhancing the number and quality of repatriation programmes,
improving situation of trafficked victims in receiving country (avoiding
detention and expulsion of victims), focusing on key factors which leads to
the migration to neighbouring countries; and the labour sector - improving job opportunities and
strengthening national labour laws. All these must
be included to combat the multifaceted problem of human trafficking. New
NGO formed to combat human trafficking A new NGO named Centre for the Protection
of Trafficked Persons (Ceptrap) has been formed in
the country to combat human and child trafficking and sexual exploitation. Reports of human trafficking have
been rife in the country with various people using all kinds of tricks to
abduct women. Trafficked people are usually lured with offers of jobs outside
the country. Outrage over lenient fine for trafficking boys www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48740 At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
A Kwacha 24,000 (US $200) fine
imposed on a man caught trying to smuggle children across the border into Child Prostitution worsens in Cities She said for Blantyre,
the children are picked from their parental homes in Zomba,
Thyolo, Nsanje and Chiradzulu after brothel owners pay some money to parents
of the children. “They give the
parents K1,000 and tell them that the children will
be employed in restaurants,” said Mtisunge. AIDS
Now Compels Africa to Challenge Widows' 'Cleansing' But they hunted her down, she
said, and insisted that if she refused to exorcise her dead husband's spirit, she would be blamed every time a villager died. So
she put her two small children to bed and then forced herself to have sex
with James's cousin. Seduction, Sale & Slavery: Trafficking In Women & Children For Sexual Exploitation In Southern Africa [PDF] www.iom.org.za/Reports/TraffickingReport3rdEd.pdf At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - The major findings may be summarized as follows: Mozambican victims include both
girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 24. They are offered jobs as
waitresses or sex workers in Johannesburg, and pay their traffickers ZAR 500
to smuggle them across the border in minibus taxis either at Komatipoort or Ponta do Ouro. They stay in transit houses along South Africa’s
border with Mozambique and Swaziland for one night where they are sexually
assaulted as an initiation for the sex work that awaits them. Once in
Johannesburg, some are sold to brothels in the Central Business District
(CBD) for ZAR 1000. Others are sold as slaves on private order for ZAR 550,
or shopped around to mineworkers on the West Rand as ‘wives’ for ZAR 650. An
estimated 1000 Mozambican victims are recruited, transported, and exploited
in this way every year, earning traffickers approximately ZAR 1 million
annually. Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free South Africa
regional centre for human trafficking Malawian women are targeted by
trafficking groups because they do not require a visa to enter the United
Kingdom. Initial recruitment takes place through Malawian businesswomen, who
are linked to the smuggling syndicates. Young women are lured by promises of
job opportunities in Europe. Upon
arrival, as the IOM discovered in the Netherlands, the women are sold to
brothel owners for $10,000, and told they must work as prostitutes to pay off
their debts. "The initiation process involves a ritual used to threaten
the women," Martens said. They are asked for underwear, hair or nail
clippings and threatened with death by magic if they do not cooperate. The
IOM discovered that some brothels even brand or tattoo the women. Human
Trafficking Stretches Across the Region According to the Pretoria-based
Institute for Security Studies, as many as 500 organised
crime groups operate in South Africa. These include Nigerian gangs who
operate mainly in Malawi, Zambia and South Africa. SOUTH AFRICA: Initiative to fight human trafficking to be launched South Africa is a country of
origin, destination and transit for victims, who are trafficked primarily for
purposes of prostitution and forced labour. Refugees
from neighbouring African countries, children from
Lesotho, women and girls from Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Taiwan, Russia,
Thailand, Latvia and Romania are all trafficked into South Africa. MALAWI PRESS REVIEW June 2004 from Centre for Social
Concern www.africamission-mafr.org/kanengojune04.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE - Reports on social and cultural life also revealed efforts that are
being taken by Nankungwis or Ngalibas,
the country's custodians of culture in the fight against the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. It is now common knowledge that some cultural practices such as chokolo, wife inheritance are not worth keeping and
practicing in light of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Nankungwis
who are responsible for guiding young people through initiation rites are
better placed to disseminate information on how the disease is spread as well
as its consequences. The practice of marrying girls at
a tender age has been blamed for the rise in maternal death in the country.
This practice has a negative effect on the health of young girls who end up
with various health implications for starting child bearing at a tender age.
All the more, the practice has a negative bearing on the development of the country,
as young girls do not get a chance to finish their education and contribute
positively to the development of the country. Reports have also expressed
concern that Malawian women and girls are increasingly becoming victims of
human trafficking to South Africa and other border districts of Malawi. This
is a sad development hence the need for human rights bodies and government to
put into place measures that would end the practice. The
Smoking Business - Tobacco Workers in Malawi [PDF] Malawi is generally regarded as
one of the countries in the region with the highest incidence of child labour. Child labour in Malawi
is also to a large extent explained by poverty, lack of resources, especially
educational, etc as well as poor institutional and reulatory
settings. Poverty and economic necessity exert major pressures on families to
make use as early as possible of the time and labour
of children to assist family survival, often at the expense of schooling. SOUTHERN AFRICA: Major destination for traffickers in women and children "Sexual exploitation - in
particular, prostitution - is the most widely documented form of exploitation
for women and children trafficked within and from Africa," said the
report. In certain instances it has been "exacerbated also by a demand
from foreigners", such as in holiday resorts in Malawi, where children
are reported to be sexually exploited by European tourists, or sent to Europe
as sex slaves. - htcp Committee on the Rights of the Child - Reports by States - 2002 www.ishr.ch/About+UN/Reports+and+Analysis/CRC/CRC-29thSession.htm The Committee emphasized the
problem of kidnapping and trafficking in children for slave labour and prostitution. The Malawi Government was
recommended to take measures to protect children before the problem increase
and bi-lateral agreements were stressed as a measure to deal with the
specific area of concern. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Malawi Street Children in [Malawi] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Malawi] [other countries]