April—September 2007

Volume Q2/07

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)

INROADS

Page 8

Events that brought them to WAO

On 2 June 2003, as they were being escorted to buy their necessity, they managed to flee themselves from a shopping centre in Bandar Utama, Damansara. They managed to get two men who were unknown to them (one is Jacky Tan who is willing to pay for their air tickets home) to drive them to PJ state police station to lodge police report.

On 3 June 2003, a police officer from the PJ police station brought her to our refuge for shelter while carrying out the investigation.

Their concerns

· They cannot get pregnant in future.

· The pimps may alert their families for what had happened to them in Malaysia and this will bring about great shame to their families. Their family will disown them once they know that their daughters were in prostitution before.

· The pimps also have some connection with the gangster in China and they may threaten their families in China whereby the police station is far away from the village and cannot be of immediate help.

· Their habits (smoking, walking posture, way of talking and etc) may not be changed and this may leak out their past experience.

Impression of Malaysia before coming

· Never heard of Malaysia until the syndicate told them about Malaysia. They were told that they could get RM 600 basic salary including free meals and accommodation as waitress, if doing overtime can earn up to RM800 to RM900.

· Most attractive point to lure them into Malaysia is: $$$ (teachers’ starting salary is about RM100, after 30 years teaching experience can only earn RM400 to RM450)

 

3 documented cases of trafficked women who sought shelter at the WAO Refuge (cont.)