When governments fail to protect women and girls from violence and exploitation, we hold them accountable. 

In Malawi, one in every five women and girls is at risk of sexual violence and abuse and 42% of girls experience physical violence before their 18th birthday. One particularly prevalent form of violence and abuse is trafficking for sexual exploitation. Research reveals that in identified hotspots, there are between 500 to 1,500 women and children trafficked within Malawi annually, with at least 30% of those aged between 14 and 18 years. 

Malawi does have strong laws against trafficking, but they are failing to implement them. 

Malawi enacted its Trafficking in Persons Act in 2015 to make provision for the prevention and elimination of trafficking in persons including for sexual exploitation. Strong laws are the first line of defense against sexual exploitation, but strong implementation is equally critical in ensuring protection for women and girls. In Malawi, few perpetrators of sex trafficking are held to account, denying survivors access to justice. 

We joined our partner in Malawi to file a complaint at the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. 

Yesterday, together with our partner People Serving Girls at Risk, we filed a communication at the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child challenging the Government of Malawi for failing to protect girls from sexual exploitation, on behalf of Maggie*, who has been repeatedly failed by the justice system after being trafficked and sexually exploited as a girl. 

Learn more about Maggie's case and the potential impact of the filing in our blog

The filing seeks to challenge the culture of impunity in Malawi, which stems from the government’s failure to hold perpetrators of sexual exploitation to account.

If you want to learn more about the case head to our blog or explore the coverage in African Business. 

The filing brings us one step closer to protecting girls across Malawi from sexual exploitation and trafficking. And we couldn’t do that without our global network of supporters, so I wanted to say thank you.
 
In solidarity

Tsitsi Matekaire
Global Lead, Ending Sexual Exploitation 

PS: Add your voice to our call for #JusticeForMaggie, share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 


* Maggie is a pseudonym to protect her identity