I want to share an issue that I worry about -- human trafficking. Children, young women, and even men, are sold daily worldwide, to serve in so many different sectors of the economy. Most of us are probably aware of women getting sold for the sex trade, and children lost in the 'trafficking system," turned into beggars and sex workers. I first heard of men getting sold when I attended a human trafficking workshop a few months back. Men from places like Myanmar are sold and end up on fishing trawlers -- so that you and I will have a steady supply of seafood.
There are 3 stages of trafficking -- first victims are recruited and often promised good jobs overseas, then they are sent to the person who will eventually sell them to other parties, and finally victims will end up abused. A few months back, I interviewed two women from the slums of Manila, in the Philippines. One has 2 children back home and she thought she was going to work in a karaoke joint, serving drinks. Another girl, aged 19, wanted to earn money to go to college so she jumped at the chance of working in Sabah. Both were traded and made to have sex on the day they arrived. The two, with a few others, managed to escape after a couple of weeks when their apartment was raided. The victims I met dont speak Malay and were told by the men holding them that they would be jailed forever if the Malaysian police caught them, so they were scared stiff of running away, as their passports were in the hands of their "owners." Yes, they had become commodities. Girls from remote areas in Sabah, too, end up in the sex trade and boys are made to do hard labour, when they are sold in Singapore and peninsular Malaysia. Usually, they go through bogus job agencies.
I was glad when I passed a Bodyshop outlet in Centre Point today. A "STOP SEX TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE" sign in yellow and red screamed at me. I had a closer look, and found that the beauty shop is working with Tenaganita, an NGO dedicated to helping trafficked victims, to create awareness on the problem and to sell a hand cream. Profit from the "Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream" will go to Tenaganita and ECPAT International, a global network of organisations and individuals working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and trafficking. I think the hand cream costs RM29.90 for a 75 ml pack. I will go get one on the weekend.
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And the Malaysian govt turns a blind eye to it-we all know what goes on with the Myanmarese at the M'sia-Thai border-the US govt has made the information clear. It was well reported in Australia. But the problem is not just our govt; it is our people who continue to see these people as non-humans, treating them like shit. People like Tenaganita are pissing in the wind, but they have to until the time comes when M'sians realise that it does not matter where you come from, as everyone human being must have their human rights respected. Not just 'anak bangsa malaysia' but 'anak bangsa manusia.'
ReplyDeleteBut till we go on with 'pilipin this, indon that...' we are guilty of turning them into non-humans who can be exploited as we see fit.
i've always like to get my hands on this topic, to really go down to these people and spread the facts. I wonder how i can do that?
ReplyDeleteHuman trafficking is very, very complicated. I was watching a documentary on how powerful and dangerous it is. The documentary focused on the Philippines, and on Russian women who end up in the US. The recruitment process always targets very poor areas... some girls get sold by their families, and in other cases, women think they are about to get a fantastic job overseas.
ReplyDeleteAs an update, a senior officer with the Philippines embassy in Kuala Lumpur was found dead about 10 days ago in his apartment. He was helping victims, and the Embassy believes he was killed by people linked to traffickers. Nothing was missing from his apartment. He was hit repeatedly with a blunt object.
Linda, the best we can do is to help spread the word in kampungs (especially in your work as a forester who goes to remote areas) that they must be very careful when they take up jobs in Singapore and KL. Many end up as sex slaves. Girls from the Philippines end up here. Its so sad. And I hate the way we in the media write about them like they are wrong. Actually, they are victims. TV3 especially, loves to show visuals of foreign women being hauled into trucks. They dont realise that many of these women have been sold. Traffickers have information on their families, and they tell them that if they "speak" to anyone, their families will be killed. Two Filipinas who escaped and who I spoke to told me that they were sold just hours after arriving in KK, and were told that if they run away, the police is going to catch them and they will end up with a life sentence!
When the police arrested these women ba kan, are they arresting the culprits as well? kesian la all these women..ya thanks for the suggestion jas..
ReplyDeleteLinda, that is the difficult part. Its a very complicated network. Police may sometimes arrest the pimp, but it still doesnt mean the problem gets solved. There are unseen hands at the top, so those who do get caught are only the small fellas, who themselves have no idea who the top man is. For sure, its an international syndicate, and its also tied to drugs, smuggling, etc.
ReplyDeleteMalaysia now has the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which allows for culprits to be charged with selling humans. But the court process is a complicated thing -- when a person is accused of trafficking another, their lawyer will find all sorts of ways to make it sound like the victims were willing to become prostitutes. And they will show to the court that the victims could have escaped each time they went out to throw rubbish (as in a case that saw traffickers walking free here in KK in January).