Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling of our time.
– Condoleeza Rice, former US Secretary of State
As if people do not face enough misery in these challenging times! We have scammers and human traffickers who compound the problem by making people’s lives even bleaker.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery.
The United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is marked on July 30 every year to increase awareness about this issue.
Female victims continue to be the prime targets; women make up 46 percent, with young girls being 19 percent of all trafficked victims.
The United Nations reported that globally, one in every three victims detected is a child, and the share of children among detected trafficking victims has tripled. The percentage of boys has increased five times over the past 15 years.
I am sure you would agree the actual figures are significantly higher. So how does human trafficking affect us here in Sarawak?
It was in February of 2019 that the media headlines here highlighted the plight of the 47 Malaysians who were incarcerated in Cambodia for several days. They were victims of human trafficking who had been caught by the authorities in Cambodia for participating in apparently illegal activities.
Before this particular incident, some here had heard about human trafficking. However, it was usually something that happened to other nationalities. This time the outcry was because 44 of the 47 incarcerated Malaysians were Sarawakians.
The news and publicity at that time also centred on the fact that they were duped into going abroad with promises of jobs and a certain amount of income.
But what exactly does the term human trafficking encompass?
One of the definitions of human trafficking involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labour or services or to engage in commercial sex acts. This coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological.
Victims of human trafficking can be anyone, regardless of race, colour, national origin, disability, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, education level, or citizenship status.
Human traffickers often prey upon members of marginalised communities and other vulnerable individuals.
The victims are deceived by false promises of love, a good job, or a stable life. They are lured or forced into situations where they are made to work under deplorable conditions with little or no pay.
Traffickers themselves come in all forms and sizes. They can be foreign nationals, family members, partners, acquaintances, and strangers. They can act alone or as part of an organised criminal enterprise.
Traffickers can be pimps, gang members, diplomats, business owners, labour brokers, farm, factory owners, company owners, civil servants, and even law enforcement officials. Many traffickers now operate online.
Recently a case of a 19-year-old Malaysian human trafficking victim was reported in the media. He ended up in Myanmar after he responded to a lucrative job advertisement on Facebook.
He wanted to return but was ransomed by the syndicate, and his family paid RM70,000 for his release. He claimed that hundreds of Malaysians are still being held captive there.
There are cases where families are asked to pay between RM50,000 and RM100,000 for their release. There are even cases where even after payment, the victims are not released.
Some destinations Malaysians are trafficked into are Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.
One of the heart-breaking cases was the recent case of a victim whose parents from Ipoh went to look from him in Thailand only to find that their son had passed away near the Thailand border with Myanmar. There are numerous such cases worldwide where parents never hear from their children again.
The reverse is also happening with other nationals being trafficked into Malaysia. In fact, they have been practising human trafficking here for a long time by bringing in people of different nationalities and keeping them in deplorable working conditions.
There have even been cases of people who came to Sarawak having been promised well-paid jobs. They ended up with nothing or had to accept much less than expected.
Some even got stranded with no money to go home. I have assisted on some of these matters over the years to ensure they return home.
We need to adopt the laws and strategies of Sweden. Sweden is one of those countries that have an ambassador for human trafficking. Sweden also remains in tier 1 for putting in efforts towards combating human trafficking.
Our country still remains in tier 3, the lowest tier. Our Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 must be strengthened as soon as possible. However, strengthening the law is one of many things we need to do. We must actually put the law to use effectively.
The evil and parasitic employment agents and syndicates which carry out these scams must not be allowed to exist and thrive in Sarawak.
Let us do our part and keep our family, friends and acquaintances alert about scammers and traffickers and the devious methods and tools they use to deprive people of their liberty and lives.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
