Constraints on Financial Well-Being and Potential for Labor Trafficking Risk Among Malawian Youth and Young Adults

Background: Youth and young adults (YYAs) around the world may be at increased risk of experiencing labor trafficking due to enormous pressures faced to take on financial responsibilities for their households, supporting their children and partners as well as younger siblings and elder relatives. This pressure is acutely felt in Southern African countries, such as Malawi, where the age dependency ratio at 76% is one of the highest in the world. This study explores the complex ways in which constraints on financial well-being may increase risk of labor trafficking particularly among YYAs.

Methods: This mixed-methods study explored data collected from two districts in the Southern region of Malawi, Blantyre and Mangochi. Following a scoping visit with stakeholders and ethics approval, qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 YYAs (18-37 years old) and 24 key informants as well as 8 focus groups with community members. In addition, YYAs who had worked abroad in the past 2 years (512 in Blantyre and 587 in Mangochi) were surveyed. The interviews and surveys were designed to gain insights into YYAs experiences with labor trafficking and identify risk factors for labor trafficking among this population.

Results: Overall, economic hardship and lack of opportunity were the primary drivers for vulnerability to experiencing labor trafficking among YYAs in the study. For example, economic hardship, such as lack of access to technology and resources (e.g. refrigerator; with adjusted p-value=0.00 for Blantyre) and economic strain, such as dependency levels in the household (e.g. number of child dependents; adjusted p-value=0.00 for Mangochi) were associated with experiencing labor trafficking. Qualitative reports described how the intersecting circumstances of economic hardship, community level resource deprivation and family pressure to financially provide led to increased vulnerability to labor trafficking among YYAs. YYAs reported that in some communities there were economic intervention programs, such as skills building and livelihood support programs, however, these programs were limited in scope and difficult to access. In addition, YYAs described how the lack of access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities blunted impacts from participating in financial intervention programs. For example, although many YYAs participated in skills building or livelihood training programs, there were no viable employment opportunities linked to program completion, which meant that their vulnerability was not decreased by program participation. Respondents suggested that economic interventions may be more effective, relevant and useful if young people are meaningfully engaged in intervention development process and there are more tangible supports for strengthening YYAs financial well-being.

Implications: Understanding the mechanisms underlying constraints on financial well-being which contributes to labor trafficking risk among YYAs is critical for policy makers, implementors and social workers who are working to implement labor trafficking prevention programs. Our study underscores the critical importance of centering context to enable insight into what kinds of intervention approaches may be most relevant and meaningful for populations they are meant to serve. Results from this study are currently being used to develop a financial capability intervention program to support YYAs financial well-being and reduce labor trafficking risk in the region.