UN Uncovers Human Trafficking At Refugee Camp in Malawi

The widespread exploitation of men, women, and children at a refugee camp in Malawi has been uncovered by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Malawian Police Service. Now measures are underway to dismantle the human trafficking networks operating within the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, identify and rescue their victims, and bring those responsible to justice.

UNODC has coached and mentored 28 camp officials and law enforcement officers who are now involved in the identification of victims and the investigation of trafficking cases and will train other colleagues at police stations and border crossing posts. Since the training and the implementation of new anti-trafficking procedures, over 90 victims of human trafficking have been identified and rescued.

Malawi has long been a trafficking hotspot in southern Africa and one major driver for this is endemic poverty and extensive rural unemployment. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 174 out of 189 countries on the United Nations' Human Development Index. Half of the population lives below the national poverty line and a quarter lives in extreme poverty.