Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. -The Star filepic
PUTRAJAYA: Assuring victims of human trafficking that they will be rescued and protected, a system is in place for victims to alert and seek the help of the authorities.
Known as Chatbox MAPO, the system acts as a medium of interaction between victims and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (Mapo).
With six languages available - Bahasa Malaysia, English, Indonesian, Burmese, Nepali and Bengali - the system is user-friendly, can be reached 24/7 and provides a swift response to the user.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said with this platform now available to victims of human trafficking, it is hoped that more will come forward to report such incidents.
The pandemic has worsened the situation for many vulnerable groups which are now more prone to human trafficking. Photo: Pixabay
In conjunction with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons today (June 30), an Anti-Trafficking Capacity Building for Impact (CBI) programme has been launched to help combat the problem of human trafficking in Malaysia.
Curbing the problem of trafficking in persons involves a whole-of-nation approach and it takes everyone to play their role, says Omna Sreeni-Ong, the project representative from Engender Consultancy, a social enterprise committed towards promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
Curbing the problem of trafficking in persons involves a whole-of-nation approach and it takes everyone to play their role, says Omna Sreeni-Ong. Photo: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Taking it in his stride: Being confined in the Klang Valley by the Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging but it has not stopped McFeeters from fostering meaningful engagements on the ground.
SINCE being posted earlier this year as US Ambassador to Malaysia, Brian McFeeters has been confined mainly to the capital city and Selangor with the various movement control orders in place.
This is his second tour of duty here, having travelled across most of the country as political counsellor at the US Embassy from 2009 to 2011.
Accompanied by wife Melanie and youngest daughter Sara, the memories came flooding back to him when the plane touched down at the KL International Airport on Feb 26.
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Tuesday, 06 Jul 2021 12:35 PM MYT
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JULY 6 The news report on July 1 that the US State Department has downgraded Malaysia’s ranking in its “Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report” (2021) to Tier 3 (from Tier 2) can only provoke two responses: expected (unsurprised) or unexpected (surprised).
Those who are unsurprised at the move will point to the deterioration in labour standards and the practice of forced labour as highlighted by regular reports emanating from international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
On the other side are the sceptics who argue that such incidents of labour exploitation can only be isolated and insulated – which is why they’re kept hidden away from public eyes and able to evade the government’s “antenna” (for so long), so to speak.