Chinese Nationals Jailed For Trafficking Malawians.

By Joseph Dumbula

The court in Malawi’s capital has ordered three Chinese nationals to spend the next six years in prison after they were found guilty of human trafficking.

Two men, Zhang Yan Qing and Zhou Yan Hu, are said to have failed to follow procedures when marrying two Malawian women via a district council.

The two men had a Chinese woman accomplice, Mian Mian Chen, who kept the four at her home for two weeks before departure for China.

The convicts were caught at Kamuzu International Airport by Police.

Principal Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe said they have given the minimal sentence because the suspects did not cause any harm to the victims in Malawi.

One of the convicts, Zhou Yan Hu, pleaded for leniency, pointing out that he does not have arms.

The court however said disability should not be a reason for one to act against the laws.

Deputy Police spokesperson for Central West Region, Foster Benjamin, said the three convicts will serve their sentence in Malawi.

Malawi has strict laws against trafficking, including the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Act.

This legislation prescribes punishments of up to 14 years' imprisonment for offenses involving an adult victim and up to 21 years imprisonment for those involving a child victim.

It also launched a national plan of action in 2017, and created a fund for survivors of trafficking. 

The government has made more of an effort to crack down, the US State Department's 2021 report finds.

But police and other authorities are still under-resourced when it comes to catching and prosecuting traffickers.

Malawi's police arrested 48 suspects on trafficking-related charges and convicted only 29 traffickers in 2020, according to the report.