Malaysia on US trafficking watch-list again
Malaysia, for the second consecutive year, has remained on the United States watch-list on human trafficking.
Malaysia edged out of the lowest rank of Tier 3 to the Tier 2 watch-list in the Trafficking in Persons report in 2015 revealed by the USA, but failed to move any higher.
Countries in the Tier 2 watch-list are considered nations that "do not fully meet the minimum standard in eliminating human trafficking". Malaysia shares its rank with Thailand and Laos.
“We are quite deeply concerned about the human trafficking situation in Malaysia. Over the last 12 months I would characterise the progress in Malaysia as quite uneven," US Ambassador to Malaysia Joseph Yun told reporters at a press conference at the embassy today (Friday).
The report said the majority of trafficking victims were among the estimated two million documented and over two million undocumented foreign workers here.
Malaysia's conviction rate of human traffickers was also menial, with only seven cases last year.
Several thousand Bangladeshis and Rohingyas had been rescued from Malaysia-Thailand border while several hundred mass graves were discovered believed to be these two nationalities last year.
Human traffickers target jobseekers from Bangladesh and Myanmar and make them victims of their traps from the Bay of Bengal. Then they bring the victims to Andaman Sea from where the traffickers realise ransoms.
Currentely, over 4,00,000 lakh Bangladeshis are working on different sectors in Malaysia.
The Southeast Asian country, however, stopped hiring foreign workers including the Bangladeshis since last February 19.
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