Location, foreign labour dependence make Malaysia trafficking hotbed, say NGOs

 Tenaganita's Glorene Das says the ‘complex’ recruitment process also contributes to the problem.

Human Rights Watch is calling for Malaysia to formulate SOPs to recognise and protect human trafficking victims instead of detaining them. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Malaysia’s “strategic” location and high demand for low-wage migrant labour are among the reasons the country remains a hotbed for human trafficking, say two rights NGOs.

Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said Malaysia’s location makes it easy for Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Filipinos and Myanmar nationals to migrate to Malaysia or be smuggled in.

Das also said there were growing concerns that Malaysia is becoming a transit country before victims are trafficked or smuggled to New Zealand and Australia.

She said the manufacturing, construction, plantation and domestic help sectors are heavily reliant on migrant workers from poorer neighbouring countries, which has led to traffickers exploiting the recruitment process for profit.

“Let’s not forget that recruitment practices also contribute to the problem.

“Migrants often arrive in Malaysia through complex networks of agents and sub-agents who charge excessive fees, make false promises, substitute contracts and trap workers in debt before they even begin employment,” Das told FMT.

She also said the dependency on foreign labour from poorer countries makes these migrants vulnerable to abuse, coercion, debt bondage and forced labour, as victims are often afraid to report such matters because they do not want to risk detention, deportation or the loss of their jobs.

Das’s comments follow home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s revelation last week that 4,869 detainees held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) were arrested for human trafficking and migrant smuggling offences.

Last October, Malaysia retained its Tier 2 ranking in the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, having failed to fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.

Fortify Rights’ Yap Lay Sheng shared Das’s view regarding Malaysia’s location and dependence on foreign labour, adding that migrants “power many of our manufacturing bases and service sectors.”

However, he added that human trafficking in Malaysia is also connected to conflicts and disasters that force citizens in neighbouring countries to flee to Malaysia.

“Due to our country’s proximity to regions plagued by conflict, Malaysia becomes a natural destination for refugees seeking safety and shelter from persecution and war.”

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Malaysian authorities should formulate SOPs to recognise and protect human trafficking victims instead of detaining them.

Referring to Malaysia’s Tier 2 ranking, HRW’s Asia researcher Shayna Bauchner said Malaysia is not doing enough to distinguish between trafficking victims and other undocumented migrants who may be caught up in immigration raids.

“The enabling factors on the ground remain largely unaddressed. Victims continue to be criminalised and detained, with inadequate enforcement against recruiters, employers and others implicated in exploitation and abuse,” she said when contacted.

Yap concurred with Bauchner, citing the shipwreck off the Langkawi coast in November last year which saw rescued victims face detention and prosecution for immigration violations by Malaysia’s criminal justice system instead of receiving protection.

“When trafficking survivors are treated as immigration offenders, they are far less likely to come forward or cooperate with authorities, which ultimately makes it harder to dismantle trafficking networks,” Yap said. - FMT