After having to go through the trauma of human trafficking, these job scam victims are only allowed to return home to their loved ones after paying a certain ‘fee’ to the authorities.
In a Facebook post, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim shared how a mother of a job syndicate victim was asked to pay RM5,600 by the Malaysian government before they proceed to send him home to Malaysia. Her son is now with the Malaysian embassy in Laos after the local authorities managed to save him from the syndicates.
Steven shared that Puan Ranggama has been waiting for her child’s return for more than a year but when he was finally rescued, the Malaysian authorities gave her a bill amounting to RM5,600 and said that this is the payment is to cover her child’s expenses during the custody period at the Malaysian embassy in Laos.
“Puan Ranggama, who works as a dishwasher and is earning RM50 a day, cannot afford to pay the amount,” he said.
“Many of these victims come from poor families. That is also the reason why they were deceived by the promise of a good salary while working abroad. How is Puan Ranggama going to find RM5,600 to pay to the Malaysian government so that her child can safely return to her?”
“The anti-trafficking law in Malaysia states that the government has a responsibility to protect foreigners who are victims of human trafficking in our country, in addition to Malaysians who are victims in foreign countries,” Sim said.
Inhumane policy
Meanwhile, Sim said he and Permatang Pauh MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar had jointly offered assistance to Puan Ranggama and the father of another victim who is going through something similar.
“Today, sister Nurul Izzah Anwar and I took out RM8,600 from our pockets to donate to Puan Ranggama and Mr Lim, the father of another victim, to help them pay the bill from the Malaysian government for their children to be sent back to Malaysia from Laos,”
“Mr Lim, who works as a painter, was able to collect only RM2,600 from friends and was unable to borrow anymore. Izzah and I gave RM5,600 to Puan Ranggama and RM3,000 to Mr Lim. Hopefully, this small donation can ease their burdens,” he said.
Sim then said that this is a inhumane policy and he will raise it in the Dewan Rakyat for debate.
“The government should send these victims home immediately instead of demanding for an unreasonable payment! These are victims of human trafficking, not lost tourists!” he said.
Stay tuned for more updates!
