Anti-Trafficking Committee raising K848m for shelter of victims

Major stakeholders in the National Coordination Committee Against Trafficking In Persons (NCCATIP) have embarked on an ambitious project to construct a multi-million kwacha shelter for human trafficking victims in Lilongwe.

The stakeholders have come up with a number of activities to raise K848 million, which they need to buy a plot where they can construct a safe home for trafficking victims before they are repatriated back to their respective villages.

One of the NCCATIP executive members, Fawzia Osman, told Nyasa Times in Lilongwe on Wednesday that to achieve their dream, the stakeholders have, among others, organised a fundraising gala dinner to raise K50 million for the Anti-Trafficking Fund.

Osman was speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the training and orientation of resource mobilisation sub-committee on the implementation of the resource mobilisation strategy for the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Fund.

She said the dinner has been organised to provide a platform for the stakeholders and prospective donors to interact.

“We do understand that since the passing of the Trafficking in Persons Act in 2015, government has been doing all it can to mobilise resources for the implementation of the Act. But in order to support what government has already been doing, we are also coming in with other initiatives all in n attempt to raise adequate resources to enable us implement our projects,” she explained.

Osman stated that the current shelter is in bad shape; hence, their resolve to construct a modern one.

The Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Homeland Security, Irene Mulumba, said combating trafficking in persons is a challenging task requiring adequate resources and concerted efforts.

However, Mulumba stressed that the Malawi Government is working hard to tackle cases of human trafficking.

She said the enactment of the anti-trafficking law in 2015 is a demonstration of government’s seriousness to address the problem.

“Government will continue to fund the anti-trafficking activities to ensure the National Action Plan’s effective implementation. Our ministry is confronting a time of increased demand for services to the victims of trafficking in persons and we are meeting these demands during a time when we have limited resources,” said Mulumba.

Meanwhile, the Malawi Government has thanked its sponsors, which include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) for their support to Malawi in its responses against trafficking in persons, including the organisation of the training.

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