Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Malawi

Tea
Tea
Child Labor Icon
Tobacco
Tobacco
Child Labor Icon
Forced Child Labor Icon
Forced Labor Icon
Malawi
2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Moderate Advancement

In 2021, Malawi made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Office of the President assented to legislation amending the Employment Act, establishing provisions that abolish the tenancy system. The tenancy system, which causes tenant farmers and their families to fall into debt bondage, has been a source of forced labor, including for children. In addition, the government launched the National Child Labor Advocacy and Communication Strategy to support the implementation of the National Action Plan on Child Labor and published a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which included updated statistics on the prevalence of child labor in Malawi. However, children in Malawi are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including forced labor in the harvesting of tobacco and in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Minimum age laws do not meet international standards because protections do not extend to children working in private homes and on non-commercial farms. The government did not provide information on its criminal law enforcement efforts related to the worst forms of child labor for inclusion in this report. Moreover, gaps continue to exist in labor law enforcement related to child labor, including insufficient financial resource allocation.

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