MAS, Malindo Air to boost human trafficking fight
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines and Malindo Airways have joined AirAsia in helping their employees identify victims of human trafficking among passengers.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said both airlines’ cabin crews and ground staff would receive training to help them spot and rescue human trafficking victims, who may be travelling with their perpetrators under duress.
“They will be our first line of defence against human trafficking when it comes to travelling by plane and trafficking someone into the country.
“The training is expected to start early next year in stages and batches,” he said after opening the Walk the Talk-Stop Trafficking Women and Girls campaign organised by Soroptimist International Malaysia (Sirom) at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation here yesterday.
Present was Sirom president Dr Saradha Narayanan.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of human trafficking and to educate the public, especially university and college students, on what they can do to prevent human trafficking.
Nur Jazlan said the training would be conducted by professional trainers from the AntiHuman Trafficking and Anti-Migrant Smuggling Council.
He said human trafficking victims appeared to be under the control of others, showing indications of mistreatment.
He added that they might look frightened, ashamed or nervous.
“They (the public) will be taught how to identify a human trafficking victim, even if the perpetrator is seated next to them. They will also be taught how to identify human trafficking victims forced to travel alone.”
He said the training module, which was adopted from the United States, focused on helping flight crews recognise the signs and body language of a person in need of help.
In August, AirAsia became the first airline in Asia to crack down on human trafficking.
Nur Jazlan said this year, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (Mapo) rescued 1,089 victims, all women and the majority of whom are foreigners.
He said the rescued victims would be kept under council’s care until investigations were completed.
Mapo houses the victims at 10 safe houses jointly run with nongovernmental organisations and supported by the government.
On the conviction rate for cases involving human trafficking, Nur Jazlan said 116 convictions were made compared with 33 last year.
He said the government was mulling the use of the Prevention of Crime Act as a preventive measure to detain those suspected of being part of a human trafficking syndicate.