First Batch Of 32 Victims Of Human Trafficking To Work Here - M'sian Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) -- Thirty-two Bangladeshis who are former victims of human trafficking for labour exploitation cases, will be the first group to take up employment here under the government's policy decision on human trafficking victims. Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Lee Chee Leong said the first group would be released Wednesday from the shelter home to take up employment in the country for a period of three years. He said the policy decision was announced by Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on the sidelines of the Bali Process Workshop on Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Persons that Malaysia jointly hosted with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 12. "To provide better protection for victims of human trafficking, the government announced a major policy decision, allowing the victims for labour exploitation cases to work in Malaysia upon their release from the shelter homes," Lee said in a statement, here, Wednesday. "Nevertheless, certain conditions are imposed, namely prior consent from the victims are required, approval from their diplomatic missions, conformation that the victims' safety is not guaranteed if they return to their country of origin and they have entered this country legally." According to the current procedure, he said, once released from the shelter homes, the victims would be returned to their country of origin. "The move by the Malaysian government on this matter strongly reflects Malaysia's endeavour and continuous progress towards providing better protection for victims of human trafficking in this country. "This is due to the fact that victims' protection and rehabilitation is one of the crucial elements in the global effort to combat human trafficking, in addition to prosecution of the perpetrators of this heinous crime," he said. -- BERNAMA