The complex crime of human trafficking, particularly involving children, has compelled government to augment its investment in building capacity of law enforcement officials in intelligence gathering, Minister of Natural Resources, Bright Msaka, has said.
Cases of human trafficking—with the victims ending up in brutal working conditions—continue being a major concern to different stakeholders who have since called for stiffer punishments for the perpetrators.
Recently, a British national, Roy Michael Robson, had seven children grabbed from his custody by the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare after it suspected that he was trying to traffic the children among who was a four-month-old.
And speaking in Lilongwe yesterday at the opening of a two-day National Conference on the 25 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Msaka said intelligence gathering is particularly crucial in tackling “this complex crime, where criminals are quick to change patterns”.
The conference was organised by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) and its aim is to provide space for stakeholders in child rights promotion and protection to reflect on the progress regarding the implementation of the convention which Malawi ratified in 1991.
Msaka, who officially opened the conference on behalf of Minister of Justice, Samuel Tembenu, observed that even though the country has registered some progress in the protection of children’s rights, through legislative, policy and programmatic interventions, there still is work that needs to be done.
“[Attacks] against persons, particularly children, with albinism, reveal socio-cultural perspectives that must be completely uprooted and are beyond mere legal reform.
“It is imperative that we challenge and eradicate distorted perceptions that are fuelling the attacks on children with albinism through awareness-raising and community mobilisations. It is also important that holistic interventions are put in place to effectively address this vice,” he said.
He further observed that despite the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act providing for the registration of children with disabilities, and mandating local councils to provide assistance to them, substantial gaps still exist in ensuring that the children enjoy such rights in practice.
“Our government is already taking the lead in ensuring that nothing is left undone to arrest this horrendous pattern of attacks against children as well as all persons with albinism,” Msaka said.
MHRC Chairperson, Justin Dzonzi, said even though Malawi has made some strides in protecting the rights of children particularly through legislative reforms that are even more progressive than those of some advanced countries, the battle it yet to be over.
He also agreed with concerns that defilement cases are on the increase in the country even though there are laws to deal with such ills.
“This is a social breakdown where people are not paying attention to what the laws are saying and what the values of society are. There is also a myth that sleeping with a young girl cures HIV and Aids and if that belief is going to continue, we should brace ourselves for more incidences of this nature,” Dzonzi warned.
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