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IOM Helping to Repatriate Woman Trafficking Victims from Malaysia

April 13, 2006

IOM plays an important role in combating trafficking in Southeast Asia. ¹

The International Organization of Migration (IOM) is currently helping the Indonesian government repatriate more than a dozen women who became victims of trafficking from Malaysia. The women would be given full medical and psychological treatment at an IOM-assisted recovery center attached to a police hospital in Jakarta. 47 Indonesian citizens who mostly lacked proper travel documents were currently being sheltered and given protection at the seeking protection at the Indonesian consulate in Penang, Malaysia.

According an assessment made by IOM in cooperation with Indonesian authorities, the women, who had worked as house maids, were victims of trafficking although they had arrived in Malaysia via official international routes. Victims of trafficking had been exploited by immoral and irresponsible employment agents and had often been abused physically, psychologically as well as sexually.

¹ Adapted from: "IOM helping to repatriate woman trafficking victims from Malaysia." Antara News (Indonesia). March 8, 2006. (Source: UNIAP China)