Human trafficking blacklist: Special Home Ministry team studying US report

Home Ministry: Malaysia has 90 days to answer findings in report

Masami Mustaza

Malay Mail, Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Trafficking in Persons

THE REPORT: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 16 June launched the TIP

THE Home Ministry has set up a team to study the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) annual report issued by the US Department of State, and will submit a speedy response to it findings.

Its secretary-general Datuk Mahmood Adam in confirming that a team was looking into the matter said Malaysia had 90 days to respond to the report that had put the country on Tier 3 of the human trafficking blacklist.

This is the third time Malaysia has been blacklisted. The first was in 2001. But its ranking improved to Tier 2 in subsequent years until 2007.

The 2009 report claimed Malaysia failed not only to "fully comply" with minimum standards to eliminate trafficking but "is not making significant efforts to do so."

Last year the report elevated Malaysia to a "watch list" from the 2007 blacklist after finding that it was "making significant efforts" to comply with such standards.

The new report said that while the government took early steps to fight sex trafficking, it had yet to fully tackle labour trafficking in Malaysia.

Malaysia's re-appearance on the blacklist has sparked debate on the matter

Yesterday, it was reported that the Ministry was waiting for an official letter from the US to learn exactly why Malaysia had been downgraded and what the country should be doing about it.

Balik Pulau Member of Parliament Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff, who is also secretary for the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), slammed the various quarters for their rejection of the TIP report.

"This is not the first time Malaysia has been given a poor report on the issue. We have reached the level of committing a repeat offence and the report was detailed. On one side, we have what the report claims. And on another, we have the Deputy Inspector-General of Police and the Deputy Home Minister claiming that the report is unjustifiable. So what is what?" he said.

Yusmadi said the report not only tarnished the name of the country and its people, it also placed civil servants in a bad light as there were allegations that Immigration officers in Malaysia were involved in the human trafficking.

"In Parliament, whenever the topic of human rights (for migrant workers) crops up, the excuse given is that we cannot adopt the standards practised by foreign countries as they do not apply here. However, I believe that there is a need for us to seek the level of standards that they have so that we can satisfy the global 'litmus test'," he said.

"Instead of being in denial, we should acknowledge that human trafficking is a global problem. We need to get down to business and start tackling it."

Last Tuesday, Malay Mail reported that Malaysia made it to the modern slavery list along with Myanmar, Chad, Cuba, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and others on the US State Department's 2009 TIP Report.

The report studies efforts of 173 countries in fight ing human trafficking for forced labour, prostitution, military service and other reasons.