KUALA LUMPUR: While some children enjoy the safety and stability of their homes, others are being trafficked into Malaysia, where they are exploited and coerced into begging or working as roadside vendors, leveraging their ability to evoke sympathy from passers-by.
Malaysian children are also not spared from being trafficked, as some were forced to be sex workers by their own fathers.
Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (MAPO) division secretary Syuhaida Abdul Wahab Zen said they had rescued 67 children under the age of 18 trafficked to Malaysia in the past five years.
While some of those under the age of 18 were being trafficked to work as beggars and sellers, there were also babies who are trafficked to be sold to new parents.
"Children are supposed to be studying and learning. They are not to be exploited for begging. We have had cases of institutions trafficking children for begging for selling items like keychains.
"We want the public to know that whenever they have any information on children involved in trafficking, please report it to the authorities so that action can be taken," she said.
In terms of internal trafficking of children in Malaysia, Syuhaida said there were also instances of children being sexually trafficked by their fathers as a means for him to earn money and resolve debts.
Internal trafficking also affected married women, as there have been cases where husbands were found to have trafficked their wives for money, she added.
She cited the example of a former bank officer who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually exploiting his wife by charging clients RM1,000 per hour for sex with her. He reportedly did so to pay off his debts.
Persons with disabilities were also not spared, said Syuhaida, adding that they had handled a case of a woman who was deceived into becoming a sex worker by her neighbour.
In the case of sexual trafficking, Syuhaida said MAPO had saved 22 Malaysians who were sexually trafficked last year alone.
Syuhaida said managing sex trafficking was no easy feat, as some victims developed Stockholm syndrome, where they believed that their perpetrators were their saviours.
"They feel that the perpetrator was the only person that could help them. But, actually, they were the one who benefited from the acts they coerced the victims to do under the guise of love.
"So that's why sometimes they hesitate to lodge a report, as they feel that these people were their guardians.
"Stockholm syndrome affects victims across different types of trafficking, but it is especially prevalent in sex trafficking."