Sexual Abuse Still Plagues Malawi’s Tea Plantations, Women Say
This article is co-published with Egab.
In southern Malawi, nearly three years after global headlines exposed sexual abuse of women on plantations owned by two British conglomerates, a More to Her Story investigation has found that little has changed.
In 2021, an investigation by the Platform for Investigative Journalism, a Malawi-based media NGO, and a subsequent lawsuit by the London law firm Leigh Day detailed systemic abuse against at least 66 women employed by subsidiaries of Eastern Produce Malawi, owned by Camellia, and Lujeri Tea Estates, owned by PGI. The claims included sexual harassment, coercion, and rape by supervisors and managers.
Both conglomerates settled cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and pledged to implement “sexual harassment prevention mechanisms”, including new protections for whistleblowers, better working conditions, and a spate of “women empowerment initiatives.” At the time, it was seen as a quiet victory in the name of justice and accountability on the continent.
However, months of interviews and field visits to the tea-growing districts of Mulanje and Thyolo conducted by More to Her Story reveal that not only have these mechanisms failed, but the abuse is ongoing, pervasive and largely unpunished.
“The same men keep doing the same things,” said one former worker, who preferred to remain anonymous. “Only now, they’re more careful, and crueler.”
“He warned me not to tell anyone.”
Victor Mandiwe of Chidothe and Company, the law firm that is representing tea workers in a new lawsuit, said the majority of their claims involve serious forms of sexual harassment, including coerced sexual relationships and rape, allegedly perpetrated by the victims’ superiors during the course of their employment.
“The claimants are seeking various forms of compensation, including damages for discrimination, violation of their right to dignity, and protection from cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. They are also claiming damages for emotional distress, psychological trauma, and injury to feelings,” Mandiwe added.
His firm is currently fielding claims for as many as 100 women. “We are waiting for court to assign a new judge, since it has passed mediation stage,” he told More to Her Story.
Tea and macadamia from these plantations wind their way to British shelves of Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Tetley, and more. Yet consumers sipping their morning tea have little idea that behind the crisp packaging lies a bitter story of coercion, trauma and exploitation.
As legal efforts move forward, Malawi’s labor movement is also stepping up. The Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU), the country’s main federation of worker organizations, has been vocal in condemning the alleged abuse and pushing for meaningful structural reforms.
Charles Kumchenga, president of the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, said the rise in reported cases should not be mistaken for a worsening crisis. “It’s a sign that awareness efforts are working and that more women are finding the courage to speak out,” he said.
M.M.*, who was once employed at EPM’s Makwasa Tea Estate in Thyolo, still carried the scars of her ordeal. In 2017, while working alone near the fan machine used to dry tea leaves, she said she was raped by her manager.
“He dragged me into a corner and raped me,” Mabedi told More to Her Story. “He warned me not to tell anyone. I kept quiet because I needed that job.”
A year later, M.M. said a supervisor forced his way into the employee restroom where she was and raped her. “He told me reporting it wouldn’t matter because he ran that department,” she said. “That’s when I quit. I just couldn’t anymore.”
Similar stories echo across the estates. J.M.*, another former employee at Makwasa, reported repeated groping and sexual advances from her factory manager. When she attempted to report him, she said she was warned to stay silent by a more senior official.
Another woman, F.K., says she was told that the only way to get hired was to have sex with a manager. She did. She got the job — but also HIV.
The manager, accused by several women of rape, harassment, and abandonment, has since died. But his accusers said the trauma he inflicted lives on.
Former employees say the abuse isn’t isolated incidents, it’s entrenched in generations-old power structures of Malawian plantation life. One woman, G.C.*, recalled reporting harassment to a different manager, who then demanded sex in exchange for helping her.
“I knew then that no one would help me,” she said. She left the estate soon after.
At PGI’s Lauderdale Tea Estate, R.M.* said she endured seven months of unsolicited advances from her supervisor. Yet she said complaints were swept aside by leadership. “They said it had been ‘handled,’ but nothing happened. I was told to be quiet.”
For others, speaking out has come at an enormous cost. One woman says she was raped by a supervisor after months of pressure. Her husband left her. She now lives with trauma, stigma, and no source of income.
“These women were [let down] not once, but repeatedly,” said Victor Mhango of the Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA), which was involved in the lawsuit against Eastern Produce Malawi. “It’s not just about individual predators. It’s about institutional indifference.”
Broken Promises — and Claims of Institutional Indifference
In a public statement following the 2021 lawsuit, Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM) said it “will not accept gender-based violence or harassment.”
The company highlighted the establishment of an Operational Grievance Mechanism (OGM) in 2021 led initially by Ngeyi Kanyongolo, a respected gender and law expert who passed away in 2024. Her successor, Innocentia Ottober, a senior Malawian lawyer, now heads the process.
“We immediately referred [these new claims] to the OGM for investigation,” EPM said. “We have zero tolerance for behavior such as this and are determined to stamp it out.”
EPM emphasized that its OGM is independent and validated by international experts, with publicly available monitoring reports. The company said it is cooperating with authorities and will support complainants, including protecting their anonymity.
Yet critics like Mhango argue the mechanisms set up by companies under legal pressure like EPM are no substitute for justice.
“There was a troubling lack of transparency and accountability in how the previous settlements were reached,” said Mhango. “Survivors were left in the dark about the terms of the agreements, and many felt excluded from the process that was supposed to bring them justice.”
“The only way to deter these incidents is by prosecuting the perpetrators,” he added.
The Tea Association of Malawi (TAML), which represents member estates including those implicated in the lawsuits, have spoken out in the companies’ defense.
In an interview with More to Her Story, TAML CEO Tonda Chinangwa stressed that the industry has “since 2017 implemented a Gender Equality, Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy to prevent abuse.
According to Chinangwa, the association’s member estates undergo international audits, including from the Rainforest Alliance, and no “widespread allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation” have been identified in these audits. The association said it conducts annual trainings, monitors estate compliance, and hosts a yearly gender conference to evaluate progress and set new goals.
“TAML reiterates its commitment to fostering a conducive working environment for all workers and encourages those who may have experienced violations to report,” the association stated.
The group is now upgrading its industry-wide complaints mechanism into an anonymous toll-free platform to enhance accessibility and protect whistleblowers.
But for many workers, these frameworks still feel abstract, out of reach, or too little, too late.
“They thought we’d be too poor or too scared to fight.”
Willy Kambwandira of the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency said the revelations of abuse in Malawi's tea estates are not just anomalies but are part of a vicious cycle that demands a comprehensive intervention.
“Without accountability mechanisms, legal enforcement, cultural change and survivor support these predations will persist or re-emerge as we are now seeing,” he said.
A spokesperson for the UK-based Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), Nicola Ennis, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, calling the ongoing human rights violations in Malawi’s tea sector “unacceptable.”
“Gender inequality is persistently endemic in many tea-growing regions globally — Malawi included — where deeply entrenched power imbalances and high levels of gender-based violence remain widespread, particularly in rural communities,” said Ennis.
While ETP declined to comment on the specific allegations detailed in the Platform for Investigative Journalism’s investigation — citing the pending release of a consolidated official report — Ennis emphasized that sexual exploitation and abuse are not “distant or isolated” issues.
“They are systemic. And tackling them requires more than short-term fixes — it calls for strong leadership, sustained investment, and shared responsibility across the entire supply chain.”
According to ETP, the organization has intensified its work with stakeholders to mitigate and prevent gender-based violence and also revised its membership criteria to demand greater accountability and transparency, including mandatory sustainability reporting on human rights risks.
“We’ve taken steps to build industry-wide momentum,” Ennis said, pointing to ETP’s 2024 independent report titled Protecting People, Transforming Tea, developed with Claire Lynch Consulting and Partner Africa. The report offers practical, private-sector-driven strategies for addressing (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) SEAH in tea-producing countries.
“We remain committed to eliminating harm in the global tea supply chain,” Ennis added. “And while progress has been made, we know much more must be done — especially to protect women, who remain among the most vulnerable in this industry.”
For the women of Malawi’s tea estates, justice remains elusive. But their voices are no longer hidden. They are speaking. They are organizing.
“They thought we’d be too poor or too scared to fight,” said M.M.*, her eyes steady. “But we are still here. And we are not afraid anymore.”
*Names have been changed for safety reasons.