US embassy cable - 04LILONGWE710

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000710 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA (ZUEHLKE) AND G/TIP (YOUSEY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN, KCRM, PHUM, PINR, MI, Human Rights/Trafficking 
SUBJECT: EMBOFFS PRESENT G/TIP REPORT TO NEW GOM MINISTER 
 
 
1.  (U) SUMMARY. Charge and Poloff paid an introductory call 
ON Malawi's newly appointed Minister of Gender, Child 
Welfare, and Community Services, Joyce Banda.  The minister 
was unfamiliar with the issue of human trafficking and 
Malawi's G/TIP Tier Two - Watch List status, and agreed the 
issue should be addressed.  Her staff, however, did not 
believe new legislation to criminalize human trafficking is 
necessary.  She also discussed her views on gender issues, 
her experience in the United States, and her background. 
Biographic notes begin in paragraph 4.  END SUMMARY. 
 
HUMAN TRAFFICKING 
----------------- 
 
2.  (U) Charge and poloff presented trafficking in persons 
information to Joyce Banda, Malawi's Minister of Gender, 
Child Welfare, and Community Services in a July 14 
introductory call.  The issue of Human Trafficking was 
obviously deeply disturbing to Banda, whose first reply was 
"thank you for ruining my day."  Banda said she was "very 
concerned" about the fact that it is perceived to be a 
problem in Malawi, and noted that it is a "complicated 
subject requiring careful study."  She believes that though 
U.S. law assumes that all underage prostitutes are 
trafficking victims, the interpretation is not accurate in 
Malawi where 15% of children live in households headed by 
another child and HIV/AIDS is a major crisis, causing 
orphaned teenagers to turn to prostitution for economic 
survival.  Banda noted, however, that there are other ways 
for young girls to make money, and lamented the fact that 
educational and economic resources to encourage such options 
are extremely limited.  Economic empowerment, she said, is 
the key to social and political empowerment, all of which 
would reduce the likelihood of a girl becoming a trafficking 
victim. 
 
3.  (U) Banda was eager to learn more about human trafficking 
and indicated she would attend a USG hosted human trafficking 
symposium scheduled in late July.  She noted that the GOM's 
resources are severely constrained and expressed hope that 
the USG would partner with the GOM to combat the problem. 
 
4.  (U)  Banda's Principal Secretary (PS) was reluctant to 
agree that Malawian law should specifically criminalize human 
trafficking, making the argument that the current penal code 
is strong enough to convict traffickers.  The PS also took 
the position that prostitution is often a means of survival - 
albeit a last resort - for unskilled and uneducated women. 
 
A PERSONAL DEBT TO THE USG 
-------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Banda indicated she felt a great personal debt to 
the USG.  She participated in an International Visitor 
Program in 1989, and while in the U.S. had direct contact 
with American women's organizations and presented academic 
papers in Washington D.C.  She used her experience in the 
U.S. as a model for the organizations she has since started 
in Malawi.  In 1990 she established the National Association 
of Business Women, which has assisted over 27,000 women and 
disbursed USD 2 million in loans.  In 1997 she founded the 
Joyce Banda Foundation for Better Girls' Education, which, 
according to Banda, sponsors over 630 students and provides 
care and housing for over 550 orphans.  In October of 1997 
she was awarded the African Leadership Prize for the 
Sustainable End to Hunger. In 1998 she negotiated the 
establishment of The Hunger Project in Malawi.  In 2000 she 
founded the Young Emerging Leaders Network, which aims to 
increase young business people in networking. 
 
BIODATA, CONTINUED 
------------------ 
 
5.  (SBU) Banda is the wife of former Chief Justice Richard 
Banda, who is her second husband.  She said her first 
marriage was abusive and that she left with three small 
children and started her own business.   According to Banda, 
the previous dictatorial regime in Malawi did not like her 
actions to organize and assist women, and fearing persecution 
she once "hid out" at what was then the USIS building. 
 
6.  (U) Banda has a BA in early childhood education and has 
worked as a secretary and ran a bakery.  Her limited 
political experience includes a year as the treasurer of a 
rural village committee and three years (2000-2003) as the 
District Secretary of the Woman's Wing of the Zomba Urban 
Constituency.  In 2003 she became the National Director of 
Women's Affairs, and was elected to Parliament in May 2004. 
In 1995, she delivered a speech at the International 
Conference on Women in Beijing, and has spoken at numerous 
other conferences around the world.  She has twice been voted 
Malawi's Woman of the Year (1997 and 1998.) 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
6.  (SBU) Banda said in the meeting that women and children 
are her passion, and her career underlines her commitment. 
Her significant accomplishments to boost the status of women 
in one of the world's poorest countries are remarkable. 
Banda also noted that she "didn't get here (to her position 
as minister) by accident" and from what we can see she has 
indeed worked her way up.  When presented with the issue of 
human trafficking, Banda seemed eager to engage other GOM 
officials on the issue but was not confident that GOM funds 
will be available to assist.  The views expressed by her PS 
lead us to believe he will not be an advocate for 
strengthening Malawi's existing criminal statute with regard 
to human trafficking. 
RASPOLIC