Tenaganita: Sex workers treated like ‘baby factories’

Sex workers' babies are sold for up to RM40,000 while rejected babies are returned to syndicates to be brought up as future sex workers.

PETALING JAYA: Syndicates are capitalising on Malaysia’s stringent child adoption procedures and turning sex workers into “baby factories”, Tenaganita claimed today.

According to a report by The Sun Daily, Tenaganita coordinator Aegile Fernandez said some childless couples were resorting to adopting children outside official procedures.

The legal process for adopting a child can take up to two years, and involved a lot of paperwork, interviews and monitoring by the Welfare Department.

Fernandez said in the past, a pregnant sex worker would be sent for an abortion, but now, the pregnant sex worker would be forced to continue providing sex services while carrying the child, putting the baby at risk of developing health problems, including HIV.

“Now the syndicates send her to a clinic for the baby’s delivery, after which a doctor would provide a letter furnishing a different identity complementing the new parents,” she said.

The sex worker’s baby can fetch high prices depending on the child’s gender, weight, health and even skin colour.

A booking fee alone for a child is between RM5,000 to RM7,000.

The price for a girl is priced no more than RM25,000, while a boy can be sold for between RM12,000 to RM40,000.

Fernandez further claimed that rejected babies were handed back to the syndicate to become a victim of child trafficking or brought up to be a future sex worker.

“At some places where we’re involved such as Chow Kit, there are children being watched over by another sex worker.

“When the child is eight years old, they’re sold for sex. This is a ‘long-term investment’ for the syndicates,” she said.

Fernandez however lauded the government’s efforts in making the adoption process simpler through the Adoption Act amendments, which allow prospective couples to bring home the adopted child immediately rather than wait for the entire process to be completed.