PROTECTION
The government sustained efforts to protect victims. It continued to lack formal procedures to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations and did not systematically provide services or refer victims for care.The Ministry of Population and Social Affairs, in collaboration with an international organization, continued to coordinate approximately 450 child protection networks across the country. These networks are mandated to protect children from various forms of abuse and exploitation, as well as ensure access to medical and psychosocial services for victims. However, the care was at times inadequate, the standard of care was uneven from one region to another, and it remained unclear if some of the networks provided services to trafficking victims during the reporting year. Officials continued to operate and fund the Manjary Soa Center in Antananarivo, which removed 35 child victims from situations of exploitative labor and sex trafficking. The center provided medical care and, based on the ages of the victims, either reintegrated them into the public school system or provided vocational training. On March 4, with support from an international organization, the Vonjy Center was launched at the Befalatana public hospital in the capital as part of

an integrated approach to victim care, designed to address the needs of victims of sexual violence including trafficking victims. With medical providers, social workers, and two elements of the minors brigade permanently posted under one roof, this assistance center is designed to address the needs of victims of sexual violence, including trafficking victims. There were no reports the government arrested or punished trafficking victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, yet three children were committed to a group home for obtaining false documents with the intent of working abroad.The government remained without formal procedures to encourage victims to assist law enforcement in the prosecution of their traffickers; however, the police reported some victims were active participants in the investigations of their alleged traffickers. Under the new anti-trafficking legislation passed December 2014, victims are guaranteed compensation for reintegration and medical care; this provision had not yet been implemented during the reporting period, reportedly due to a lack of funding.
During the reporting period, many trafficking victims continued to return from the Middle East, where they were subjected to various forms of abuse while working in domestic service.The government failed to engage with foreign governments regarding the protection of and legal remedies for exploited Malagasy workers. However, it did make modest efforts to assist in the repatriation of eight Malagasy migrants from Comoros, Mauritius, and Ethiopia. Upon repatriation, the vast majority of Malagasy trafficking victims arrived destitute and in need of psychological and medical services; the government failed to provide victims with resources or assistance and continued to rely heavily on NGO support.

PREVENTION
The government continued efforts to prevent trafficking. During the reporting year, the government formally adopted a five-year national action plan to combat human trafficking and pledged to commit staff and 38.95 million ariary ($15,000) toward its implementation in 2015. On March 3, the government adopted a decree creating the National Bureau to Combat HumanTrafficking, which will coordinate the implementation of the national action plan, determine policy, and monitor prosecution of human trafficking cases. The newly adopted decree requires an annual budget line for the bureau, as part of the national budget. A 2013 ban on domestic worker travel to high risk countries remained in place during the reporting period, which according to officials, led to a decrease in the number of migrant workers leaving for Gulf countries; however, illicit recruiting agencies continue to circumvent the ban by sending workers through Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa, and Comoros, and NGOs continued to report trafficking victims in Gulf countries and Malagasy women trafficked and sold as brides in China.The government did not make efforts to improve its oversight of recruitment agencies.
During the reporting year, the national Gendarmerie established a specialized unit focusing on child protection. A new tourist police branch was also formed to patrol beaches and other areas popular for child sex tourism in September 2014.The Ministry of Tourism posted warnings against child sex tourism in establishments across the country, and the Ministry of Population and Ministry of Communication carried out an awareness campaign entitled “Break the Silence” in Toliara, one of the high-risk cities for trafficking, between June 2013 and May 2014.The police continued to operate a national hotline to report child exploitation cases, but due to a lack of specificity in data collection, the number of resulting

trafficking cases remained undetermined. Officials continued to partner with local NGOs and international organizations to implement a code of conduct to combat the commercial exploitation of children in the Nosy Be and Toliara tourism industry, but It had yet to be disseminated across the country.The government provided training on combating trafficking in persons to law enforcement, judges, and civil society, as well as general guidance to diplomatic personnel on preventing trafficking based on local laws.The government did not make any tangible efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor during the reporting period.

MALAWI:  Tier 2 
Malawi is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children from neighboring countries subjected to labor and sex trafficking, and a transit country for people from some of these countries subjected to labor and sex trafficking in South Africa. Most Malawian trafficking victims are exploited within the country, with victims generally transported from the southern part of the country to the central and northern regions. Children are subjected to forced labor in the agricultural sector (predominantly in the tobacco industry, but also on tea, coffee, and sugar plantations), goat and cattle herding, and brickmaking. Frequently, traffickers entice families to part with their children with the promise of work as farm laborers, subsequently subjecting the children to forced labor or sexual exploitation. Children are also subjected to forced labor in begging, small businesses, and potentially in the fishing industry. Some are coerced to commit crimes. Reports indicate one-third of Malawian children are involved in labor activities; most cases of child labor outside the family involve fraudulent recruitment and physical or sexual abuse, conditions indicative of forced labor. Adult tenant farmers are vulnerable to exploitation, as they incur debts to landowners and may not receive payment in times of poor harvest. Brothel owners or other facilitators lure girls—including primary school children—from rural areas with promises of clothing and lodging, for which they are charged high fees, resulting in prostitution coerced through debts in Malawi or neighboring countries. Malawian victims of sex and labor trafficking have been identified in Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia,Tanzania, and Europe. Malawian girls are subjected to domestic servitude in eastern Zambia. Recent years have seen reports of young girls being drugged, gang-raped, and placed in the sex trade. Some girls recruited for domestic service are instead forced to marry and subsequently subjected to prostitution by their “husbands.” Migrants from the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa may become labor trafficking victims in Malawi or transit through Malawi and subsequently become labor trafficking victims in South Africa.
The Government of Malawi does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. In February 2015, the government passed anti-trafficking legislation, establishing a comprehensive legal framework to address trafficking in persons. It reported investigating 27 trafficking cases involving 47 offenders and convicted 25 traffickers. The government identified 242 trafficking victims, an increase from 119 the previous year. The government continued to lack effective procedures to systematically identify victims and provide them adequate protection. The government relied on international organizations and NGOs to fund and implement most anti-trafficking programs.