By Linda Kwanjana
The Chief Justice of the Republic of Malawi Rezine Robert Mzikamanda has spelled out economic hardships and limited opportunities as some of the challenges young people face in the country hence exposing them into child trafficking.
Speaking at the launch on Labour Trafficking Financial Capability Intervention the Mzikamanda stresses the need for coordinated efforts to blend justice with prevention and protection.
“The goal is clear, to reduce young people’s vulnerability to labour trafficking through a financial capability intervention. The approach focuses on economic empowerment, giving young people the skills, resources, and confidence to make safer choices about work and migration,” he said.
He also said that the design responds directly to what Center on Human Trafficking Research and Outreach (CenHTRO) and the University of Malawi’s research has revealed as many Malawian youth are willing to work hard but lack safe ways to manage money or invest in their goals.
“By improving financial capability and access, we reduce those risks. When a young person can save for emergencies and evaluate a job offer clearly, they are less likely to fall prey to traffickers. In this way, financial capability becomes a powerful form of protection and prevention,” he added.
The intervention centres on three pillars:
– Digital savings groups, which allow young people to save safely, access credit, and build habits of financial planning;
– Working capital management support, with guidance to participants on managing small businesses, planning expenditures, and avoiding exploitative lending;
– In-kind livelihood support, offering training, tools, or start-up materials to help participants turn skills into sustainable income.
The initiative is being done through CenHTRO, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, Zambian Financial Sector Deepening, the University of North Carolina, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Illinois, and the University of Malawi’s Centre for Social Research and international collaborators, in coming up with an innovative, evidence-based model to reduce labor trafficking among youth and young adults.
