Lilongwe, Malawi – Despite the abolition
of the tenancy system last year, large numbers of children continue to work on
tobacco farms across Malawi, remaining out of school and exposed to
exploitation, a new joint labour report has revealed.
The report, compiled by the Malawi Police
Service, the Ministry of Labour, and several civil society
organisations, exposes the ongoing use of child labour on tobacco
estates a year after the government banned the tenancy system, which
was widely blamed for fuelling child labour, child trafficking, and forced
labour.
According to the report, seven girls aged
between 15 and 17 were recently rescued from a tobacco estate
in Mchinji District. Investigations show that the girls were trafficked
from Lilongwe, a situation the Malawi Human Rights Commission
(MHRC) has described as a clear case of human trafficking.
The report further indicates that the girls were
working nine and a half hours per day, in violation of labour laws that
limit children under 14 to a maximum of four working hours daily, to
ensure they can attend school.
For the rescue operation, Minister of Labour
Vera Kamtukule joined officials from the MHRC in storming the estate last
week, leading to the withdrawal of the underage workers and the arrest of
individuals suspected to be behind the illegal employment.
Malawi’s labour laws prohibit the
employment of persons aged between 14 and 18 in any occupation or
activity that may endanger their health, safety, education, or moral development.
The Employment Act (2000) and
the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act (2010) both set
the minimum employment age at 18, with offenders facing up to five
years in prison.
Malawi is also a signatory to the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child and the International Labour
Organization’s Convention No. 182, which bans the worst forms of child labour
including those associated with tobacco production.
In a 2022 United Nations Human Rights report,
the UN urged Malawi to intensify efforts to combat child trafficking and forced
labour, warning that thousands of children continue to be pushed into tobacco
fields under exploitative conditions.
The now-abolished tenancy system allowed
estate owners to provide tenants with land, inputs, and materials in exchange
for exclusive rights to purchase their produce.
However, critics argued the arrangement trapped
families in cycles of debt and servitude, perpetuating child labour and
exploitation.
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