Shelters for women filled mostly with sex trafficking victims

Ajanis Bais, who manages such facilities says 81% of occupants are made up of women aged between 16 to 40.

PETALING JAYA: Women trafficked for the flesh trade make up the majority of occupants in shelter homes for victims of human trafficking.

Ajanis Bai, who manages such facilities, was quoted by Malay Mail Online today as saying victims of sex trafficking represented 3,321 of the 4,904 (or 81%) of people housed at such homes between 2008 and 2016. The women were aged between 16 and 40.

The rest consisted of unpaid workers, forced labourers, victims of abuse, those involved in baby-selling rackets, forced beggars as well as one linked to organ selling.

Vietnamese women made up the majority of victims smuggled into the country and rescued so far this year, followed by Thais, Indonesians, Chinese, Laotians, and Myanmarese.

According to Ajanis, four of the seven shelter homes for victims of human trafficking in the country were dedicated to women, with some of the homes overstretched with occupants.

Malaysia was in 2014 downgraded to Tier Three in the United States’ annual Trafficking In Persons report. The grading was improved to Tier Two later, in time for the country to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).