TAWAU: Debt bondage has been cited as one of the main contributing factors towards human trafficking activities across the borders of Indonesia and Malaysia.
The coordinator of the Archdiocesan Human Development Committee (AHDC) for Cross-Border Counter Trafficking Indonesia-Malaysia Project 2010-2011, Dominic Lim, said the victims of human trafficking would often fall prey to individuals and syndicates who exploited their economic vulnerability and pretended to offer them passages to better life, although in the end were still trapped in debt bondage and a life of slavery.
He said this at the closing of a media event entitled ‘Challenging Perspective-Changing Realities for Cross-Border Counter Trafficking Indonesia-Malaysia Project 2010-2011’ held at leading hotel here yesterday.
The event was one of the last few activities to be held in the two-year cross-border project, which started early last year.
The project which is funded by the US State Department’s Grant-In-Trafficking-in-Person, was a continuation of an earlier project held in late 2008.
It was jointly carried out by the Indonesian International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) as the main partner and AHDC Kota Kinabalu as its local partner.
Their focus in the last two years was to curb human trafficking and debt bondage of Indonesian migrant workers in Sabah.
“The issue of human trafficking is something which is becoming a big concern to all peace loving people and warrants concerted efforts and greater collaborations by the government, NGOs and civil society groups.
“It is our hope that this media event will contribute further in highlighting of the urgent need for a participative and collaborative approach. The issue was deliberated in three cross border mechanism meetings in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Nunukan.
“We are grateful that through the good offices of both the Indonesian Consulate and the local authorities, the discussions were able to gear towards a better understanding of the root cause of human trafficking in this region,” Lim pointed out.
Apart from zooming at debt bondage, the project also ventured into the issue of shelter provision and the Standard Operating Procedures for survivors of human trafficking.
Over the last two years, besides focusing on the migrant communities, they also educated their own local people on the issue of human trafficking, especially among young people who are looking for greener pastures away from their villages.
Lim said, through their engagements with the enforcement agencies, they realised the need for a collaborative mechanism to tackle the issue of human trafficking.
They believe that a combative approach has to be taken in an integral manner, hence they have consistently advocated for the setting up of a state body to coordinate all efforts against human trafficking.
“We are glad that the idea is now being taken up at various levels and we hope that such structure could be materialised in the near future,” Lim added.