Eye of the Child, a leading child rights organization in Malawi, has raised concern over a sharp and more dangerous shift in child rights violations in the country, with commercial sexual exploitation, internal trafficking, physical torture and child labour emerging as the most pressing threats to children.
Speaking in an interview, Marketing and Public Relations Officer for the Eye of the Child, Asiyatu James, said the organization is currently grappling with four critical violations that are increasingly affecting girls aged 12 to 17 in urban areas and children from vulnerable rural communities.
According to James, the violations include commercial sexual exploitation of children, internal child trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation, physical abuse and torture of children as a form of punishment by parents and caregivers, and a rise in child labour and street-connectedness where children are exposed to drugs, alcohol and abuse.
She explained that the nature of trafficking, defilement and child labour has changed in recent years, becoming more organized, hidden and technology-driven.
“The situation has become more organized and hidden. Trafficking is no longer just cross-border most cases are internal, from rural to urban areas, facilitated by people known to the family,” James said.
James added that under the organization’s campaign dubbed “Trapped Behind the Scam,” they have observed that traffickers are now using false promises of jobs, scholarships and opportunities abroad, especially on social media, to lure children. She also noted that defilement cases remain high but are under-reported due to stigma and out-of-court settlements, while economic pressure on families is pushing more children into hazardous work in bars, rest houses and domestic settings.
To counter the vice, Eye of the Child is implementing a collaborative model under its theme “Working together against human trafficking.” The organization works closely with the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare for social welfare support and the Ministry of Education for school-based interventions, and serves as the coordinating NGO for the Malawi Network Against Trafficking (MNAT).
She further highlighted the strong partnership with the Malawi Police Service, where the organization conducts joint rescue operations, including recent operations with Area 3 Police in Lilongwe, with police providing law enforcement support while Eye of the Child offers psychosocial first aid, counselling and referral of survivors to shelters run by other NGOs for education and vocational training.
Despite the efforts, James said major challenges remain, including limited funding for rehabilitation and long-term reintegration of survivors, lack of safe government-owned shelters for rescued children, community tendency to settle cases outside the formal justice system, and the high cost of drug rehabilitation services for children exposed to substance abuse.
