Matewere’s passion for human rights protection attracts global attention
Maxwell Matewere’s name and the fight for human rights PROTECTION are synonymous.
He has been fighting social ills and speaking up for marginalised groups of people for over three decades.
Matewere’s journey begun locally when he founded Eye of the Child on February 28 1998 in response to the need for a strong advocacy organisation that work actively and holistically for the protection, care and justice for children in Malawi.
Now, that fight has attracted global attention and international news coverage following the release of his book Human Trafficking Exposed, a detailed exploration of the global crisis of modern slavery.
It has been covered and reviewed by about 76 international media outlets, inclining Fox News, CBS, NBC, ABC, Yahoo, AP News, Book Publisher Central, US National Times, Economic Policy Times, World Governments Watch, Today in Parenting and Global Media Watch.
“They trusted a promise. They followed a dream. And their lives were never the same,” reads part of the book.
It further pulls readers inside the brutal, hidden world of modern slavery—where children are trafficked under the guise of education, women are trapped in violent sexual exploitation, and men are stripped of dignity through forced labour.
Renee Jones Empowerment Centre President and chief executive officer Renee Jones said rather than relying solely on statistics, the book centres on personal narratives—stories of individuals who were deceived by promises of employment, coerced by traffickers, or sold into exploitative conditions.
“These accounts are interwoven with explanations of trafficking networks, recruitment methods and trafficking routes within and beyond Malawi’s borders,” he said.
Jones observed that one of the book’s greatest strengths is its balance between storytelling and education.
Apostle Joseph Langa wrote on his Facebook page: “If you can read the book and not shed a tear, your heart is stone. I broke down sobbing. Human trafficking strips away humanity, proof that greed can turn people into monsters.”
Drawing from 28 years of frontline experience, Matewere delivers an unflinching investigation into the lives of trafficking victims and the pervasive criminal networks exploiting them.
The author is crime prevention expert on human trafficking and smuggling of migrants and child protection in Malawi.
In an interview on Tuesday, he said: “Human trafficking doesn’t thrive in the shadows alone, but it survives because it’s ignored, minimised, or normalised, especially when wealth and influence are involved.’
Matewere said globally, an estimated 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery today.
“This isn’t rare. It isn’t fringe. It’s systemic.
“I thank God for using me to raise awareness globally through this book Human Trafficking Exposed. God prepared me for many years to take up the task of raising awareness to all people of the world regardless where l do come from,” he said.
This book takes readers beyond statistics and into the lived realities of men, women and children ensnared in the web of human trafficking.
Through vivid storytelling, real-life testimonies and expert analysis, Matewere uncovers the mechanics of this multi-billion-dollar industry, exposing trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation, illegal organ harvesting, child trafficking under the guise of adoption and much more.
“Too many victims suffer in silence while traffickers prey on ignorance and systemic failings,” says Matewere, whose work has been recognised globally, including being named a Global Hero by the US Department of State in 2020.
“This book is my effort to educate and empower. Each chapter is a step toward dismantling the machinery of this crime.”
Maxwell founded Eye of the Child in Malawi and the Malawi Network against Trafficking (M-NAT).
He has worked as a resource person who developed community-based child protection system in nine Africa countries for Firelight Foundation in USA.
Matewere has authored six education books on Trafficking in Persons, Child Sexual Abuse, Advocacy for Children and Social Entrepreneurship.
He also received an award as Human right Champion for Social Mobilisation from the Ministry of Youth and Culture and another award from National Youth Council of Malawi for his successful work that facilitated the developed of Youth work and space for active participation in Multiparty democracy.
Matewere spends most of his free time visiting secondary schools, universities and churches to conduct lectures, talks and training on Trafficking in Persons based on his work, research and book titled “Human Trafficking in Malawi: the untold Stories.
He is former Special Law Commissioner on the development of the Trafficking in Persons Act (2015) in Malawi.
Matewere also works with Catholic Sisters in Malawi as a resource person after they invited him to speak at the Catholic Women and Sisters Conference about human trafficking.
With support from Hilton Foundation, the sisters have trained over 700 ambassadors and 500 border security officers in addition to more than 15 000 people who have received education and awareness on human trafficking through workshops and public rallies organised by the group and trained ambassadors.
More than 200 young women recruited for labour export have been intercepted by the group, border security officers and community structures.
They operate under an organisation registered in the name of Talitha Kum Network Malawi and Daughters of Mary Immaculate St.
