Stakeholders called to unite against sex trafficking, sexual exploitation

A call is being made on the need for collaborative efforts towards fighting against sex trafficking and sexual exploitation in the country.

The call was made in Lilongwe during a media engagement organized by People Serving Girls at Risk (PSGR) and Equality Now.

The 2024 US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report for Malawi stated that the government reported investigating 46 trafficking cases in 2023, compared with investigating 81 cases in 2022.

The government also prosecuted 80 alleged traffickers in 46 cases, resulting in only 11 convictions, compared to 46 alleged traffickers prosecuted and 24 convictions in 2022.

Justice Zione Ntaba believes that working together will help dismantle cartels and address the challenge.

“Touting that Malawi’s anti-trafficking legal framework provides a solid foundation for combating sexual exploitation is all good. However, legal prescription without effective implementation serves primarily symbolic rather than protective functions. This demands urgent attention from all sectors of society, particularly the media as the Fourth Estate,” said Ntaba.

The High Court judge also added that: “Courts have dismissed several trafficking prosecutions due to a lack of evidence. Observers reported that law enforcement sometimes did not grant certification of victim status at the time of identification, which is required for trafficking victims to access services. Magistrates heavily relied on victim testimony and dismissed cases where victims declined to testify. Due to conflation between migrant smuggling and human trafficking, the government may have prosecuted migrant smuggling crimes as human trafficking crimes. A significant backlog of cases remained due to prosecutorial delays and insufficient resources. A lack of basic resources, including fuel, vehicles, and personnel, hindered law enforcement’s ability to investigate cases, protect victims, and collaborate effectively.”

On his part, Ntaba is Evans Munga, Africa lead for ending sex exploitation at Equality Now in Kenya, underscored the important role the media has in making sure that the cases are addressed.

“Media is a very key stakeholder to us in creating awareness about sex trafficking. We want them to be equipped and understand the underpinning issues about this matter and how they can work with survivors to end the vice,” stressed Munga.

Meanwhile, one of the participants for the training, Wanga Fosiko from Story Club FM, said: “The event has been an eye-opener. As a media personnel, I believe that sometimes our reporting or presentation of such issues has been lacking in knowledge in various dimensions, including the law and personal experiences. I believe from now onwards, we will do the best reporting to end the malpractice.”

The media engagement in the capital city was held under the theme: Combating Sex Trafficking in Malawi: Bridging the Gap Between Law and Implementation.