Democratic Progressive Party( DPP) shadow minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Mary Thom Navicha has asked government to underline it’s commitment to fight sex crimes, women abuse and child trafficking which have a negative impact on the victim’s social, mental and spiritual developments as they are subjected to exploitation.
Navicha was reacting to reports that police in the District of Mchinji have intercepted nine people including four children who were being trafficked to neighboring Zambia to work in farms and mines.
“War against child and women trafficking should continue until the last victim is rescued and rehabilitated and the the last perpetrator of this heinous crime is brought to book and rot in jail,” said Navicha.
The former minister of Gender herself, navicha has asked government machinery through it’s prosecution agencies, civil liberties organizations, local authorities and faith groups to cooperate and coordinate and double their efforts to step up the fight against the new ‘pandemic’ which is causing untold economic and social development misery on innocent children who must be in school.
Police reports indicate that the victims were picked by Masautso Martin who hails from mangochi village in Traditional Authority Kalolo in Lilongwe and will face several charges in court of law.
Police have also indicated that the children were intercepted at Maula Village on their way to Zambia to work in tobacco farms using uncharted routes. The children were in age ranges of 2 to 10.
Navicha observes that child trafficking is a modern day type of slavery and has to be eliminated from the face of the earth.
“We must all rise up and get united as a block for this cause. We must use all tools on our disposal so that we defeat this ‘monster’ by firstly propagate county wide awareness campaigns about the nature of the problem and warn people about the dangers of crime. We must also take a deliberate policy that shall focus as well on survivors to give them a comprehensive rehabilitation package so that the survivors can go back to school, women get soft loans and get spiritual health from our pastors,” said Navicha who also served in professor Arthur Peter Mutharika adminstration as Gender Minister.
Navicha has urged government to increase the numbers of vulnerable women who can access ‘mtukula pakhomo’ funds so that they continue to engage in small scale businesses.
She has also urged the popice continue to their vigilance in patrolling the boundaries so that they arrest suspects who indulge themselves in this primitive behaviour.
