Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has expressed concern with the shortage of protection shelters for human trafficking survivors.

In an interview on the sidelines of a three-day stakeholders workshop on human trafficking in Blantyre on Wednesday, MHRC regional human rights coordinator (South) Victor Khwima noted that most human trafficking victims are children and women.

He said sometimes human trafficking survivors are kept in police cells due to shortage of protection shelters.

Said Khwima: “In Malawi we only have four protection shelters, two in Blantyre, one in Zomba and another in Mchinji, this forces some of these survivors to be kept in police cells. So it is like that person is being victimised twice.

“As a country, we have to advocate for more such facilities especially along our borders to ensure that our efforts are effective as during the investigation process, police often detain TIP [traffic in persons] victims and consequently re-traumatise them.” 

The workshop under the theme Enhancing Capacity and Coordination to Combat Human Trafficking is being organised by Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (Cadecom) of Blantyre Archdiocese and attracted participants from various security agents, the Judiciary, non-governmental organisations and the media.

Zungu: Survivors should be supported

In a separate interview, Cadecom director for Blantyre Archdiocese Mandinda Zungu said the workshop was aimed at sharing the knowledge on how trafficking in person survivors should be supported.

“We as a country have standard operating procedures, but we want to take them through the same law enforcement officers, so that they have a common understanding,” she said.

Recently, Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma urged Malawians to be cautious of human traffickers who disguise themselves as ‘Good Samaritans’ working to bail others out of poverty. 

Speaking during the launch of the 2023-28 National Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the 2023-2028 National Plan of Action Against Trafficking in Persons, the minister noted that there are many Malawians suffering outside the country after falling victim to traffickers who promised them heaven.

Ng’oma called for concerted efforts to address trafficking in persons in Malawi and beyond.

 “They are promised heaven by the agents, only to end up in an awkward predicament. It is becoming difficult for the government to come to their rescue in time because most of them have no passports. Their masters seized them upon arrival in those countries,” said the minister.

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