977 Victims Of Human Trafficking Rescued From 2008 Till Now

KUALA TERENGGANU (Malaysia), March 30 (Bernama) -- A total of 977 victims of human trafficking were rescued and placed under Protection Order (PO) from 2008 till now. Home Minister deputy secretary-general (management) Wahab Mohd Yasin said according to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Migrant Smuggling Council (Mapo), women made up the most number of victims at 595, followed by men (260) and children (122). "They were victims in various cases including sexual exploitation, slavery and forced labour," he told reporters after the launch of the state-level awareness campaign on anti-human trafficking and anti-migrant smuggling here Thursday. Present were Terengganu Chief Minister Ahmad Said, his wife, Norliza Mahmud and Deputy Human Resources Minister Maznah Mazlan. Wahab said throughout the same period, a total of 439 cases were recorded with 621 arrests had been made nationwide. "A total of 412 cases were brought to court under, 64 of which were solved and 78 others were convicted so far," he said. Meanwhile, Wahab also called on the public to give their cooperation to the authorities to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling activities from becoming rampant in the country. He said such crimes should not be taken lightly as they involves human life and dignity. "As members of the society, we have the responsibility to defend human values and dignity," he added. -- BERNAMA