Maxwell Matewere

Maxwell Matewere is a proven anti-trafficking activist in Malawi. For more than two decades, he has advanced Malawi’s anti-trafficking movement and is recognized nationally as a leading and trustworthy subject matter expert.

Matewere is a proponent of trafficking survivors and their families, personally engaging with many of them to understand their needs and ensuring each survivor he encounters is able to connect to and receive the necessary services.

In 1998, Matewere founded Eye of the Child, an NGO dedicated to advocacy, research, and protection of children’s rights in Malawi.  He was a major driving force behind the passage of the Trafficking in Persons Act in 2015 and continues to tirelessly advocate for its full implementation.  As the civil society representative on the National Coordination Committee Against Trafficking in Persons, he successfully lobbied for the formal opening of the government’s anti-trafficking fund to provide services to trafficking victims and train law enforcement and victim protection officers.  

In 2018, Matewere helped spur a fruitful collaboration between the Malawi government’s National Trafficking in Persons Coordinator and the Ministry of Homeland Security, resulting in trainings and awareness campaigns across the country.  With Matewere’s support, this partnership has also led to the drafting and successful adoption of several key initiatives, including new human trafficking regulations, guidelines for law enforcement officials, and a police recruit training manual.