Human Trafficking (A Heinous Crime that Leads to Inhumane Acts)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
 makes life a wonderful journey.

            The revelation by Datuk Akhbar Satar regarding human trafficking in his article “Modern-day slavery must stop” (NST, Dec 31) shows how serious the crime has been and can be. Almost everyone is at risk to be victims of this crime, with women and children becoming the criminals’ “favourites”.

            The exploitation of women and children has become themes for local and foreign films. In the 2008 movie Changeling, Walter Collins was kidnapped by a child abuser. In the 2010 South Korean film The Man from Nowhere, So-mi was abducted by gangsters and was turned into a child slave. And, in the 2011 Malaysian film Songlap, the plot revolved around the exploitation of women and trafficking of children. 

            These films should have been eye-openers regarding the reality of human trafficking and exploitation, but many watched only for entertainment.

            Child trafficking is the result of child abduction. Parents, who spend more time at work, are late in fetching their children in kindergartens or schools. This situation puts the children at risk. Strangers may approach these children and coax them into their car.

            Even when children are with their parents, they can go missing in the blink of an eye, especially in crowded places. This happens when parents switch their attention to something else, be they checking messages or talking to somebody over the phone, leaving their children unmonitored.

            Teenagers with family problems are likely to become victims of human trafficking. Family problems will lead to social problems that make these teenagers take wrong turns in life. Once they start mingling with the wrong people, they will become easy targets of manipulative individuals.

Young girls are lured to elope with men they hardly know. As a consequence, these girls end up working as guest relations officers in clubs. Some of them are mistresses to the rich and powerful whose businesses are usually illegal. They are made to feel special about their position without realising that they are slaves to their masters.  

Human trafficking violates human rights and encourages inhumane acts. Victims lose their right to education. They lose their right to enjoy a free and fair world. They lose their right to be free from torture and slavery. Worse, the victims are forced to live without body parts and organs, a result of the organ-harvesting trade.

While the authorities strive to end crime syndicates, the public should raise awareness about the issues. We need to abolish slavery and eradicate human trafficking. After all, a free country should set everyone free. 

Courtesy of New Straits Times

6 January 2015