Cops: Human trafficking victims usually tight-lipped

KUALA LUMPUR: Cooperation from victims of human trafficking is one of the main challenges facing the police when investigating these cases, says Bukit Aman CID AntiTrafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Division principal assistant director SAC Maszely Minhad.

The police had rescued 2,298 people in 2017, but only 514 of them or 22.4% received a protection order or were considered “genuine” cases, he added.

This year until June, only 33 of 569 cases were considered genuine, he said.

“After being rescued, some don’t want to talk for reasons known to them,” he said during a conference in conjunction with the World Day against Trafficking in Persons yesterday.

Some of these victims, he said, could be worried about the safety of their families back home, as they could have been threatened by the middle men if they spoke to the authorities.

Most of these cases involved Vietnam, Thai and Indonesian nationals, said SAC Maszely.

He said that some of the rescued persons were “willing” workers and not trafficked.

SAC Maszely also added that Malaysia was a destination country for nationals of 23 countries.

He also said they are still looking for information about the involvement of the authorities or enforcement agencies in the Wang Kelian human trafficking case.

The event held here in the city was organised by Stop Human Trafficking (Shut) in collaboration with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (MAPO).

Shut is a newly launched social venture that aims to disseminate information about human trafficking throughout the country.

As a start, it is targeting to carry out its programmes in schools, universities and colleges.

“It is not only the government’s responsibility... all of us have a role to play (to eliminate human trafficking),” said Shut president Dini Dalilah Wan Nordin.