Trafficking for the purpose of sexual and commercial exploitation remains a serious problem in Malawi.

Development Diaries reports that traffickers regularly recruit innocent victims, including children to work on tobacco estates in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia, as revealed by the NGO Coalition on Child Rights (NGOCCR).

It is understood that the demand for girls and women increases during the festive season and other major events among others.

In its 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report on  Malawi, the United States Department of State revealed that traffickers were generally lured from the southern part of Malawi to the central and northern regions for forced labour in agriculture (predominantly the tobacco industry), goat and cattle herding, and brickmaking.

It also noted that traffickers lure children in rural areas by offering employment opportunities, clothing, or lodging, for which they are sometimes charged exorbitant fees, resulting in sex trafficking.

It has been reported that traffickers exploit teenage boys in forced labour on farms while girls are used for sex trade or other types of sexual exploitation at nightclubs or bars.

Endemic poverty and extensive rural unemployment have been identified as major drivers of trafficking in the South African nation.

According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Malawi is one of the world’s poorest nations, ranking 174 out of 189.

Furthermore, a quarter of the population experiences acute poverty, and half the population lives below the federal poverty level.

A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals that trafficking victims are also transported through Malawi on their way to other African nations like South Africa, Tanzania, and Mozambique as well as to some regions of Europe.

Development Diaries calls on the government of Malawi to close all gaps in its current approach to tackling this crime, and also strengthen its strategies and legal frameworks in line with international standards to assist and protect victims.