The morning light settles softly over Efrida’s (not real name) modest home in Blantyre. Holding her child close, she looks away, as though replaying moments she would rather erase. Only a few years earlier, her life was far from this peace, she was trapped in a foreign home, working endlessly, unpaid, and denied even the smallest freedoms.
“I thought life abroad would change everything,” she murmurs. “I didn’t realise freedom could disappear so quietly.”
Her experience is not a simple tale of migration gone wrong. It is a story of labour trafficking a crime that strips young Malawians of dignity, rights, and the future they imagine.
Today, she recounts her ordeal before policymakers, academics, civil society representatives, and fellow survivors gathered in Lilongwe for the launch of the Center on Human Trafficking, Research & Outreach (CenHTRO) report. The University of Georgia initiative focuses on research, outreach, and survivor-centred work. For her, speaking publicly brings both fear and strength a chance to prevent others from falling into the same trap.
Unfulfilled promises and exploitation trap
Her exploitation began with an offer she wanted to believe in. With a young child, inconsistent income, and daily financial pressure, the idea of domestic work abroad with good pay and “kind employers” sounded like hope.
“She told me, ‘You’ll work for a respectable family. You’ll earn more than you ever could here.’” She pauses. “I convinced myself it was true.”
Such hope is what traffickers exploit. In Malawi, labour trafficking often disguises itself as ordinary recruitment for domestic work, farm labour, security jobs, or small shops. Agents promise transport and visas to be processed “later,” asking only for trust.
She left Malawi on a bus with other women, none carrying passports. The traffickers insisted the documents would be sorted out. Instead, they were moved through unofficial routes, hidden in makeshift shelters, and forced to obey whenever a transporter issued orders.
“Every time we asked about passports, they said, ‘Keep quiet, we know what we’re doing.’”
This is the early phase of labour trafficking: deceptive job offers, illegal routes, and fear used for control.
Her journey ended in a foreign home where the promise of decent work vanished. She had no freedom of movement, no salary, no rest days, and no communication clear violations of her rights.
“I had no power over anything,” says Efrida. “Even food depended on their mood.”
Her escape came only because a neighbour, Martha, hid her until she could return to Malawi.
Malawi’s trafficking landscape
Despite reforms, Malawi remains among the world’s poorest nations. With more than 80% of the population dependent on agriculture, the country is highly exposed to climate shocks, irregular migration, and rapid urbanisation all of which heighten vulnerability to trafficking.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Malawi is both a source and transit country for trafficked people. Trafficking networks recruit children and adults for forced labour in agriculture, brickmaking, herding, domestic work, and increasingly online exploitation. Gender inequality worsens the problem: women form most full-time farmers, yet their labour is undervalued, making overseas work more tempting.
Recent cases reveal the scale. In 2022, 376 Malawian women were trafficked to Oman for domestic work, causing national concern. During COVID-19 restrictions, traffickers relied more on unmonitored border paths, bicycles, and motorbikes to evade authorities.
CenHTRO: bridging policy and practice
At the report launch, CenHTRO emphasised an integrated approach combining research, community outreach, and survivor-led interventions. The organisation promotes financial literacy, economic empowerment, and resilience to reduce cross-border labour trafficking among young people.
Founder of the Center on Human Trafficking Research & Outreach (CenHTRO) and the African Programming and Research Initiative to End Slavery (APRIES), Professor David Okech, stresses: “Malawi has strong laws, but they need operational capacity. CenHTRO shows how research and outreach can bring these laws to life, protecting vulnerable youth before traffickers reach them.”
The Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda adds that: “Traffickers exploit gaps in enforcement. Courts must respond quickly and consistently. Victims need justice, not reassurance. CenHTRO’s work with judicial and law-enforcement actors strengthens that process.”
Survivor voices at the centre
Efrida’s testimony about clandestine transport, unpaid labour, and emotional abuse set the tone. Her warning is clear: “If a job offer sounds too perfect, question why it must be taken in secrecy. Genuine work does not hide.”
When contacted by this publication, the Country Representative for Catholic Relief Services in Malawi, Sekai Mudhoni said: “Awareness and vigilance are essential. Families, leaders, and peers must recognise traffickers’ tactics. Prevention begins at home.”
Institutional challenges
Malawi has solid legislation: the Trafficking in Persons Act (2015), with penalties of 21 years for child trafficking and life imprisonment for aggravated cases, alongside the National Action Plan (2017–2022). The National Coordination Committee Against Trafficking in Persons links ministries from Homeland Security to Social Welfare.
However, implementation lags behind policy. Shelters lack resources, and funds intended for victims often cover administrative needs. NGOs and local leaders struggle to support rescued individuals.
Executive Secretary of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Habiba Osman, outlines the slow implementation of crucial legal measures.
“Structures are in place, but coordination and funding gaps limit progress. Strong laws alone do not stop trafficking,” Osman says.
Exploitation across sectors
According to IOM and UNDP, labour trafficking affects multiple sectors. Around 66% of children aged 5–17 engaged in hazardous work are found in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, while 28% work in domestic service. New forms of exploitation, including online child labour, show how trafficking evolves. In one case, Chinese nationals forced Malawian children to record videos later sold for profit.
Family networks also play a role. Teenage boys are coerced into farm labour, while girls are lured into sex work, nightclubs, and bars.
Moving forward
The CenHTRO launch outlines a layered response: survivor-led advocacy, stronger justice systems, community awareness, and policy guided by research. Aligning with international frameworks such as the UN Palermo Protocol, which dictates the prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers; ILO fair-recruitment conventions, which promote ethical hiring practices and prevent exploitation of workers; and the Global Compact on Migration, which supports safe, orderly, and rights-based migration while safeguarding migrants from abuse, can help Malawi turn its legal commitments into real protection.
A human face for a national challenge
For Efrida, the launch was more than symbolic. It affirmed that her suffering could lead to change.
“If my story can save even one girl from being trafficked, then something good comes from what I went through,” she says.
Her experience echoed by survivors, experts, and activists reminds Malawi and the world that labour trafficking is lived, harmful, and preventable.
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