Young women and parents should be wary of promises of good money and an opportunity to see the world, warns ZAHARAH OTHMAN.

NOT too long ago, we were stunned by the news that several Malaysian girls were caught working as prostitutes in various parts of London. They were detained and then deported.

What was shocking was the fact that most of them claimed to have been tricked by promises of good, comfortable jobs with lucrative incomes.

Many claimed to have been offered the jobs by someone and at least one said she answered an advertisement which appeared in a local newspaper.

On arrival at Heathrow, the girls were met by people who not only took their passports but also their tickets.
This should have sounded the alarm bells but the promise of excitement and money in a city that was supposed to have its streets paved with gold blinded them.

That was just the beginning of the nightmare. The Malaysian girls were then subjected to life as sex slaves, sharing the fate of hundreds if not thousands of Eastern European girls walking the streets of London or working in high-class brothels in apartments in and around London under the watchful eyes of their minders.

The story only came to light when one of the girls pleaded with her client who took pity on her and helped her.

She was taken to Malaysia Hall, quite near to where she was being held captive, and then, luckily for her, she was sent home.

The net then closed in on the ringleaders. The rest of the women were found in crammed accommodation, 20 to an apartment, and were forced to service as many as 50 clients a week. They were not allowed to go out on their own.

Another story that emerged from the girl who escaped was that she owed her boyfriend some money and was told to come and work in London to pay back the debts.

No matter what the impetus or reason for their ready acceptance of offers that was to blight their life permanently, one can’t help but question their wisdom (or the lack of it).

One wonders what people close to them thought at the time of the offer, which must have sounded too good to be true.

What did their parents think about them, all young and presentable looking girls, going to work in a foreign land for people they had never met? One wonders what they told their parents.

This was perhaps at the back of our new Foreign Minister’s mind when he said that parents should be concerned enough to probe further about their daughters’ venture abroad.

Datuk Seri Rais Yatim was voicing his concern at the alarming number of Malaysian women languishing in jails abroad.

Whether knowingly or not, they had become mules to organised drug syndicates, who had lured them with promises of good money and an opportunity to see the world.

Out of 119 Malaysians languishing in foreign prisons in connection with drugs, most of them are young, gullible women.

Rais is not disheartened by the outcry of those who opposed his suggestion and cited infringement of civil liberties and human rights.

He said he would still appeal to parents to take more interest in their children’s welfare, especially when their offsprings are travelling abroad.

I agree with the minister. I have daughters who are at an age where they want to explore the world. I have lost count the number of times I reminded them about not accepting packages from strangers, no matter how kind they appear to be.

Always keep your belongings with you in case someone slips in something when you are not looking.

Ignorance is no excuse in law. And never accept any offer, no matter how lucrative it sounds. As parents, know your children’s travelling companions and who they are meeting.

I have watched too many episodes of Banged up Abroad to know the harsh realities of foolhardiness gone wrong.

Languishing in prison is bad, but languishing in a foreign prison is worse. Not worth any offer of any kind at all.