By Kurniawati Kamarudin
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- A significant number of the four million legal and illegal foreign workers in Malaysia are human-trafficking victims, according to a 2011 report issued by the US State Department.
Notably, women have been identified as the most vulnerable group in human trafficking, with most of them ending up in the sex trade.
Almost half of the foreign women recruited in the restaurant and hotel sector in Malaysia under dubious designations such as "guest relations officers" actually are working or dabbling in the sex trade, according to the US Human Trafficking Report.
Authorities also do not rule out the possibility that the approximately 300,000 domestic maids in the country are victims of human trafficking as well, with most being cheated into the work, their mobility restricted, salaries not paid, passports withheld or bonded with agents or employers for the repayment of hefty hiring fees.
The lure of a better life in a foreign land and the opportunity to send money home to the family, are irresistible lures for those from poorer countries. Many are vulnerable to human trafficking, and the consequences are often tragic.
The emotional effects of trauma can be persistent and devastating. Victims often suffer from anxiety, panic disorder and major episodes of depression -- all leading to difficulties in continuing with life.
Realising their plight, authorities and non-government organisations that save them in the first place also assist in emotional rehabilitation at five shelters earmarked for this group of unfortunate people.
LEARNING OF THE EMOTIONS
Getting to the hearts of the human trafficking victims and helping them to manage their trauma calls for the right techniques, as practiced by people such as Linda Jamaludin, a registered counselor with the Malaysian Counselor Board.
Linda, who is also director of the Guidance and Counseling Division of the Department of Women's Development, is familiar with the emotional scars suffered by these victims.
Psychological counseling starts as soon as the victims are rescued and brought into the shelter. The initial goal is to establish a trusting relationship with the victims.
As victims come from different countries, the counselors have to understand their cultural backgrounds and their language.
Linda is well aware that communication is often a stumbling block as most victims, especially those from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, can hardly speak or understand any of the local languages.
Counselors from the department often must resort to translators from NGOs or embassies.
Counseling is conducted in groups or individually or both, allowing the victims to release their pent-up feelings.
The programmes also include therapy in the form singing, drawing, dancing and other activities.
SOOTHING THEIR EMOTIONS
"To help calm down their emotions during the activities, they will share with the counselors, the responders and friends what they have been through and how they ended up here, in a more enabling environment," said Linda.
Linda related that the trauma undergone by victims often manifests itself in aggressive behaviour or suicidal tendencies.
Counselors identify high-risk women by monitoring their behaviour early, especially those who like to keep to themselves, look depressed and angry, and don't want to participate in the activities or therapy.
"We are aware that many worry about their families back home and want to reunite with them soon.
"Many don't want to be idle at the shelter, as it is better for them to earn an income that can help their families back home. In addressing this," Linda said, "we work with companies who are willing to outsource some work to these people, so that they can earn a little".
After therapy has helped restore the victims to their proper emotional state, they receive counseling on how to improve their lives by using what they have learned in the shelter, and how they can avoid being exploited again by the modern-day slave traders.
THE SHELTER
Five shelters have been set up to help rehabilitate human-trafficking and migrant-smuggling victims, said Department of Women's Development Director General Wan Hasmah Wan Mohd.
Three of the five are for women, one in Sabah and the other two in Kuala Lumpur. A shelter for men is located in Melaka, and one for children in Kuala Lumpur.
Shelter caretakers are aware of the dangers posed for traumatised residents, and endeavour to keep them occupied with activities such as cooking and sewing.
"We understand their feelings, the trauma that they have undergone, and this is where we want to help them," Wan Hasmah Wan Mohd explained, adding that the department also engages other organizations to share their expertise in helping these women.
These are mostly NGOs such as the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO), SUKA Society, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Sunway Rotary Club, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Suhakam.
HOW THEY ENDED UP THERE
Residents at one of the shelters in Kuala Lumpur revealed to Bernama how they ended up as trafficking victims.
Mely (not her real name), 20, from Timor Leste, has been at the shelter since April.
At the age of 16, she was lured by an employment agent and left for Malaysia without her family's knowledge.
She made several stops along the way and arrived in Klang, where she was employed as a domestic helper for RM600 per month.
Within a month, however, her nightmare began.
"Initially they were good to me, but later they changed for the worse. I was never paid for the four years I worked there," she revealed, adding that she was mentally and physically tortured, not given enough food, and locked in a store room.
When she found out that her employer had plans to sell her to another party, she fled.
RAPED BY TRAFFICKER
A young lady from Cambodia who wanted to be referred to as Rani was handed over to an agent by her father to work in Malaysia.
Being from a poor family, the RM500 salary as a domestic helper was a great relief, but she had to work up to 12 hours a day cleaning both her employer's home and office.
As she could no longer bear the workload, she, too, escaped, but a man who promised her employment ended up raping her. He then sent her to a plantation to work for a monthly salary of RM600.
Despite her ordeal, Rani found some solace working at the plantation, until the same man appeared and raped her again.
"This time I went to the police and reported the incident. I was handed over to the immigration authorities that sent me to the shelter in February," said Rani, who has picked up the Malay language.
THOUGHT THE GRASS WAS GREENER HERE
Another human trafficking victim, Yuni, 28, is from north of Sumatera.
"My life was difficult since the beginning, and it got worse when my husband got addicted to drugs.
"There was a time when me and my children had nothing much to eat," she said.
Then someone she knew coaxed her into a job opportunity at a photocopy shop in Malaysia, with a salary of RM600. The offer seemed irresistible and Yuni decided to give a try.
Upon traveling with great difficulty to Klang, however, the agent instead took Yuni to work as a housemaid.
"I worked with three employers for short durations. The agent cheated," she said, pointing out that she was brought into the county on a tourist visa.
"I managed to flee. When I sought help I was handed over to the Immigration authorities before being brought to this centre," she said.
Yuni hopes that her case will be concluded fast and she can return to her country soon.
Despite the ordeals they had undergone, the three women are hopeful of returning to Malaysia one day, as they feel Malaysia still offers great opportunities to make a decent living.
"Though I was cheated and tortured, I still see Malaysia as the best place to earn, as long as you can find a good employer," said Yuni, who hopes to one day return to Malaysia to work.
"If possible, I don't want to work as a domestic maid and instead prefer to work in the shops," she said.
Source: BERNAMA
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