Evangelical’s Justice Commission ask Malawi govt to implement pro-poor programs
The Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) says issues of human trafficking in the country can only end if the economy is improved.
The EAM said this through a statement issued by its governance arm Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission (EPJC) as Malawi joined the commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Saturday following a United Nations’ 2013 proclamation.
EPJC Chairperson Rev Zacc Kawalala as well as the Secretary Rev Evans Jeka, the country’s economic turmoil create the vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit.
“The first important thing to know is the fact that ending human trafficking also means tackling the root causes which are mainly extreme poverty, entrenched inequality, lack of education, and high unemployment levels,” reads the statement.
“So, to end this, government should seriously consider implementing pro-poor and sustainable policies and programs which add value to the economy and help in eradicating extreme poverty rather than opting for short-term politically-motivated policies and programs which do not add any value to the economy, and also addressing extreme poverty, unemployment in general,” the commission advised.
The organization however said Malawi as a country has done something good to deal with the malpractice.
For instance it mentioned about the recent enactment of the Trafficking Act of 2015; the retention of anti-trafficking training in the policy academy curricula, and Malawi’s cooperation with foreign governments in 2015 to repatriate 23 trafficking victims just to mention a few.
EPCJ further demand government to explain to the citizens about how and what happened with the boys and girls intercepted in South Africa.
The statement also says “government should also consider rolling out its funded programs (from its domestic coffers) on anti-trafficking for sustainability purposes rather than relying on international organizations and NGOs to fund and implement most anti-trafficking programs.”
EPCJ therefore believes that this year’s commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons provides a critical juncture for Malawians to soberly and collectively open their eyes to the realities of human trafficking not only globally but also domestically.
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