BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR: The most common form of human trafficking in Malaysia is forced labor, according to the US State Department, which downgraded the Southeast Asian country to the lowest tier in its annual report on human trafficking on Friday. Malaysia was downgraded to ‘Tier 3’ in this year’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report because it continued to combine human trafficking with migrant smuggling offences, and failed to appropriately investigate or legally pursue serious charges of labor trafficking, according to the report.
Malaysia’s home ministry has not officially commented on the report and did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Friday.
Acting Director of the State Department’s trafficking office Kari Johnstone stated in a teleconference with reporters that migrant workers make up the overwhelming majority of trafficking victims in Malaysia, with an estimated 2 million documented and a larger number undocumented.
“The primary sectors where we observe the most forced labor – which is Malaysia’s most prevalent form of criminality – are palm oil and agriculture plantations, construction sites, electronics, garment, and rubber product industries,” Johnstone added.
The reduction comes amid a slew of complaints from human rights organizations and US authorities about migrant workers being exploited on plantations and in factories.
In the study, Thailand was relegated to a ‘Tier 2 Watchlist,’ citing a large number of trafficking victims forced to work in the fisheries and agriculture industries.
“Sex trafficking victims are also victims of sex trafficking in brothels, massage parlors, clubs, karaoke lounges, hotels, and private residences,” according to Johnstone.
The reduction was described as “disappointing” by Thailand’s foreign ministry, who claimed it did not fairly reflect the country’s major efforts and success in combating human trafficking.
During the coronavirus outbreak, it said it took a number of steps, including extending the stay of workers from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
“After all, the TIP Report is a unilateral assessment from the United States’ own point of view and by no means represents any international standard,” the ministry said in a statement.
Rights groups have slammed Thailand’s “bubble and seal” COVID-19 containment policy, which prevents migrant workers in factories and construction sites from leaving their jobs during an outbreak.
(Kuala Lumpur’s Mei Mei Chu and A. Ananthalakshmi and Bangkok’s Chayut Setboonsarng contributed reporting; Martin Petty edited the piece.)/n
