Sex trafficking in Malaysia

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Malaysian citizen and foreign victims are sex trafficked into and out of all major cities and states and federal territories of Malaysia. They are raped and physically and psychologically harmed in brothels, homes, and various business and work sites within these administrative divisions. Malaysia-CIA WFB Map.png
Malaysian citizen and foreign victims are sex trafficked into and out of all major cities and states and federal territories of Malaysia. They are raped and physically and psychologically harmed in brothels, homes, and various business and work sites within these administrative divisions.

Sex trafficking in Malaysia is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in Malaysia. Malaysia is a country of origin, destination and transit for sex trafficking.

Sex trafficking victims in the country are from all ethnic groups in Malaysia and foreigners. Children, [1] [2] people in rural areas and or poverty, minorities, [3] migrants, and refugees [4] [5] are vulnerable. Malaysian citizens, primarily women and girls, [6] have been sex trafficked into other countries in Asia and different continents. [7] Many are forced into prostitution and or marriage [2] [8] and unfree labour. [9] Victims are threatened and experience physically and psychologically abuse. [3] They contract sexually transmitted diseases from rapes. Some are coerced to be in online pornographic films. The perpetrators are often part of or collude with criminal syndicates. [10] They increasing use the internet to deceive victims. [3] [7]

The government of Malaysia has been criticized for its response to sex trafficking. Corruption and impunity are pervasive. Officials and police have been complicit in trafficking. [9] [5] [11] Law enforcement have also failed to recognize victims and other indications of trafficking, and have treated cases as immigration violations. [5] Though some anti-trafficking efforts, such as public service announcements, [5] are carried out, progress has been limited by poor border management, [10] weak victim protections, [5] inadequate law enforcement practices, low convictions, [12] and other factors. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking</span> Trade of sexual slaves

Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).

According to the United States Department of State, "Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking." Thailand's relative prosperity attracts migrants from neighboring countries who flee conditions of poverty and, in the case of Burma, military repression. Significant illegal migration to Thailand presents traffickers with opportunities to coerce or defraud undocumented migrants into involuntary servitude or sexual exploitation. Police who investigated reaching high-profile authorities also received death threats in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in Venezuela</span>

Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Venezuela's political, economic, and social concerns contribute to the factors and types of human trafficking in the country. In particular, the severe poverty in Venezuela has increased the rate of human trafficking. Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, lured from poor regions in the nation's interior to urban and tourist areas. Victims are recruited through false job offers and subsequently forced into prostitution or conditions of labor exploitation. Child prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort destinations such as Margarita Island appear to be growing. Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe and Mexico, in addition to Caribbean destinations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic. Men, women, and children from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the People's Republic of China are trafficked to and through Venezuela and may be subjected to commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 3" in 2017, a category for countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

Vietnam is primarily a source country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Women and children are trafficked to the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C), Cambodia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Macau for sexual exploitation. Vietnamese women are trafficked to the P.R.C., Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea via fraudulent or misrepresented marriages for commercial exploitation or forced labor. Vietnam is also a source country for men and women who migrate willingly and legally for work in the construction, fishing, or manufacturing sectors in Malaysia, Taiwan, P.R.C., Thailand, and the Middle East but subsequently face conditions of forced labor or debt bondage. Vietnam is a destination country for Cambodian children trafficked to urban centers for forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Vietnam has an internal trafficking problem with women and children from rural areas trafficked to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Vietnam is increasingly a destination for child sex tourism, with perpetrators from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the P.R.C., Taiwan, the UK, Australia, Europe, and the U.S. In 2007, an Australian non-governmental organization (NGO) uncovered 80 cases of commercial sexual exploitation of children by foreign tourists in the Sa Pa tourist area of Vietnam alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking</span> Trade of humans for exploitation

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation.

Indonesia is a source, transit, and destination country for women, children, and men trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. The greatest threat of trafficking facing Indonesian men and women is that posed by conditions of forced labor and debt bondage in more developed Asian countries and the Middle East.

Jamaica is a source, transit, and destination country for adults and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Kazakhstan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan to Kazakhstan and on to Russia and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) for purposes of sex slavery and forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries. Kazakhstani men and women are trafficked internally and to the U.A.E., Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Greece, Russia, and Germany and the United States for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation.

The Kyrgyz Republic is a source, transit, and to a lesser extent a destination country for men and women trafficked from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan for purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Men and women are trafficked to Kazakhstan for forced agricultural labor—mainly in tobacco fields—to Russia for forced construction work, and to China for bonded labor. Kyrgyz and foreign women are trafficked to the U.A.E., China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Thailand, Germany, and Syria for sexual exploitation.

Sex trafficking in Thailand is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sex trafficking. The sexual exploitation of children in Thailand is a problem. In Thailand, close to 40,000 children under the age of 16 are believed to be in the sex trade, working in clubs, bars, and brothels.

Bangladesh is a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution. A significant share of Bangladesh's trafficking victims are men recruited for work overseas with fraudulent employment offers who are subsequently exploited under conditions of forced labor or debt bondage. It also includes the trafficking of children – both boys and girls – within Bangladesh for commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labor, and forced labor. Some children are sold into bondage by their parents, while others are induced into labor or commercial sexual exploitation through fraud and physical coercion. Women and children from Bangladesh are also trafficked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Europe</span> Overview of sex trafficking in Europe

Sex trafficking is defined as the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or forced into exploitative and slavery-like conditions and is commonly associated with organized crime.

Sex trafficking in China is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the People's Republic of China. It is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Myanmar is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar is primarily a source and transit country for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Vietnam</span>

Sex trafficking in Vietnam is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam is a source and, to a lesser extent, destination country for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Cambodia</span>

Sex trafficking in Cambodia is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia is a country of origin, destination and transit for sex trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in the Philippines is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Philippines. The Philippines is a country of origin and, to a lesser extent, a destination and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Kyrgyzstan</span>

Sex trafficking in Kyrgyzstan is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kyrgyz Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Guatemala</span>

Sex trafficking in Guatemala is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of Guatemala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in El Salvador</span>

Sex trafficking in El Salvador is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of El Salvador. It is a country of origin, transit, and destination for sexually trafficked persons.

References

  1. "Govt studying best mechanism to address child sex trafficking - Wan Azizah". Bernama. February 22, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Stop human trafficking in Malaysia, DAP MP tells gov't". Malaysia Kini. December 21, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Educate the young about human trafficking". NST. February 12, 2019.
  4. "NGO Report: Malaysia Now a Destination for Sex-Trafficking of Rohingya Girls". Benar News. December 20, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "US penalises Malaysia for shameful human trafficking record". The Guardian. June 20, 2014.
  6. "Anambra Indigenes Living in Malaysia Raise Alarm Over Sex Trafficking Of Their Women". Kanyi Daily. 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Slavery in Malaysia". The ASEAN Post. August 26, 2019.
  8. "Rohingya women, girls being trafficked to Malaysia for marriage". Al Jazeera. May 8, 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 "Malaysia must wake up to its human trafficking problem". New Mandala. May 24, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "U.S. to downgrade Malaysia in annual human trafficking report: source". Reuters. June 28, 2018.
  11. "Malaysia considers amending human trafficking law after U.S. report". Reuters. June 29, 2018.
  12. "Malaysia's human trafficking court draws flak after just eight convictions in first year". South China Morning Post. September 4, 2019.