These are some truly disturbing findings!
ECPAT International, a network of organisations from 93 countries that research child prostitution and trafficking, recently published their latest Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism report. According to The Star, the report uncovered a number of alarming findings regarding this heinous crime, and Malaysia seems to make a recurring appearance as well.
Here are just some of the main findings that involve our country;
More than 3,000 Malaysians and Singaporeans visit Batam, Indonesia every week
For illustration purposes | Source: The Prisma
According to the report, there are about 5,000 people involved in Batam’s sex industry, and a good 30 per cent of those individuals are children.
Malaysia is a likely transit point for travelling child sex offenders
For illustration purposes | Source: KLIA2
Another alarming issue highlighted in this report is that Malaysia makes an ideal transit point for sex offenders. This could be due to cheap flight tickets, simple visa procedures, and easier border crossing.
An estimated 150 children in Kuala Lumpur are forced into sex work every year
For illustration purposes | Source: The Australian
ECPAT’s report also pointed out that due to Malaysia’s strategic location, it has become one of the main destinations for trafficked children, who then get forced into prostitution.
On top of that, Kuala Lumpur reportedly has a thriving sex industry, where an estimated 150 children are forced into sex work on a yearly basis. These children, some who are as young as 13, are usually pimped out of low-cost apartments instead of brothels to avoid being detected by the authorities.
ECPAT executive director Dorothy Rozga pointed out Malaysia’s position in child trafficking at the report’s launch yesterday (27th March), saying,
“The Philippines is of particular concern but our research suggests that Malaysia is not immune (to the sexual exploitation of children by travellers).”
Indeed, Malaysia has raised a lot of concerns in recent years due to the crimes and reports of children being exploited and abused.
Back in 2016 for example, a British teacher working in Malaysia was believed to have sexually abused up to 200 children between 6 months and 12 years. Authorities also discovered that he wrote a guide for pedophiles, on top of filming videos of himself abusing these children and uploading them to the dark web.
Source: BuzzFeed
Earlier in January this year, another alarming report also revealed that Malaysia had the most number of IP addresses downloading and uploading child pornography in Southeast Asia. Just recently, a Malaysian was arrested by Australian authorities after he was found to have over 900 images and videos of child porn in his possession.
With the amount of instances and reports of this heinous crime happening in our country, this issue just cannot be ignored. Let’s hope the relevant authorities and governing bodies heed these disturbing findings and take extra measures to protect these vulnerable children.
Also read: M’sian Arrested at Melbourne Airport For Possessing Over 900 Images & Videos of Child Porn
