By Tione Andsen , MANA
Likuni Girls Secondary School of Lilongwe Monday received 100 books on Trafficking in Persons (TIPs) donated by United States of America (USA) based sponsor Pam and Thom Smith.
The Book titled Human Trafficking in Malawi was presented to the School by the Author, Maxwell Matewere before 600 packed students in the school hall.
Matewere, who works as United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) National Project Officer, said young girls must be aware on the issues of TIP within their locality.
He pointed out that school girls should be made aware on how recruitment, transportation and what happens at the end.
“We can only achieve this if the girls have access to the book and read the documented cases that actual gone to court and confirmed that all the people were cases of TIP,” Matewere said.
He said some of the survivors were victim of drug trafficking, organ removal, forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced marriages
UNDOC Project Officer believes that rescue missions for TIP victims have always been an expensive venture and the only way was to contain it was through prevention.
Matewere urged well wishers and sponsors to buy the book so that the money raised should be use for the production on of additional book that should distributed into other schools in the country.
He said the American couple bought the books at K5, 000 each and selected Likuni Girls Secondary as the first beneficiary of the book.
Matewere viewed that the initiative of donating TIP books to schools would help to bring awareness and help encourage the students to develop culture of reading in their Libraries.
Likuni Girls Secondary Teacher, Mary Njewa said the donated books would assist students to be aware on the issues of TIP within the school.
She thanked the American couple for donating the books to the school saying it would go a long way in educating the students on the dangers of TIP.
A Form 4 student at the School, Grace Kuliyanjali said the books would help them to have first hand information regarding TIP.
She said after reading the book we need to share the information among the students and develop ways and means of guarding yourself from would be traffickers.
