Malaysia

AI Malaysia works on a range of human rights issues including: indigenous rights, refugees and migrants, LGBTI rights, etc.

Asylum Access Malaysia was launched in 2014 and its field operations include direct legal services for refugees and people seeking asylum, ‘Know-Your-Options’ trainings, and engagement with UNHCR and other stakeholders in Malaysia’s refugee rights movement.

AGC was oine of the main stakeholders that MAPO consulted on the proposed recommendations and other relevant issues concerning the ATIPSOM Act. AGC has released an internal circular to remind the Deputy Public Prosecutors to give priority to their engagement with TIP victims in order to build rapport with the victims. It has also organised a state-level workshop on TIP for DPPs as part of its capacity-building efforts.

Malaysia Bar Council is a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia. It advocates for the Malaysian Government to address allegations of human trafficking and has supported the creation of a special court to deal with human trafficking cases.

Social enterprise that empowers youth to tackle social issues such as human trafficking, labour violation, child exploitation, the environment and inequality. It does so through training programs and creative events, backed by governmental and non-govt agencies, celebrities and social influencers.

CAMSA is an international coalition of non-governmental organizations working collaboratively to combat human trafficking in Asia. Leveraging the coalition’s collective expertise in combating the transnational crime of human trafficking, its coalition members and partners operate in the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. CAMSA was formed in February of 2008 through the joint efforts of BPSOS (formerly known as Boat People SOS), the International Society for Human Rights, the Vietnamese Canadian Federation, and the U.S. Committee to Protect Vietnamese Workers.

MAPO was established under the auspices of Home Ministry to coordinate the implemenation of the 2007 Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act or ATIPSOM. It is tasked with formulating policies and programmes to prevent and combat the crime of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Malaysia. The council’s membership consists of various ministries, enforcement agencies and other organisations, including the relevant NGOs. It has five working committees, namely the Legislative Committee, Enforcement Committee, Victim Care and Protection Committee, Media and Publicity Committee and the Special Committee to Monitor on the Issue of Labour Trafficking. MAPO reports to the High-Level Committee (HLC) chaired by the Minister of Home Affairs.

Member of the MAPO Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed to strengthen enforcement efforts. The Labour Department comes under the Ministry of Human Resources and has its own specialized trafficking enforcement team with 24 officers. Conducts workplace inspections to check for forced or compulsory labour practices.

Engender Consultancy is a social enterprise committed towards advancing the empowerment of women and gender equality. It organises gender analysis, strategic advocacy planning, monitoring and evaluation, and gender equality discourse.

Fortify Rights works to ensure human rights for all. It investigates human rights violations, engages stakeholders, and strengthens initiatives led by human rights defenders, affected communities, and civil society. It has a strong focus on Myanmar, particularly Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers. It is an independent nonprofit organization based in Southeast Asia and registered in the United States and Switzerland

GSB mission objective is to provide care, welfare & all forms of intervention to those in poverty, victims of gender based violence & other forms of abuse, neglect & exploitation. It focuses on women and children; those who are trafficked, forced into migration, refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced gender based violence. It runs shelters and outreach programmes that include case management, counselling, awareness raising and other forms of interventions. GSB receives funding from the Malaysian Government to run the Victim Assistance Specialised (VAS) Programme and shelter homes for TIP victims. It is a member of the Victim Assessment & Coordination Committee (VAC), whih is coordinated by the NSO MAPO. It is a member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

GSS is part of Good Shepherd Sisters, a worldwide Congregation present in 73 countries in six continents. Its mission is to uphold the rights, worth and dignity of women and children in underserved communities and those experiencing sexual and gender-based violence. It runs a residential crisis centre in Sabah and a community service centres in Ipoh.

SUHAKAM is the national human rights institution of Malaysia. It functions as an independent organisation which investigates complaints for the violation of human rights. It regularly receives complaints about human trafficking. SUHAKAM has made submissions to the MAPO and provided inputs to the NAPTIP 2021-2025. It also conducts periodic visits to shelters for victims of human trafficking and promotes general awareness of the danger of human trafficking. In August 2019, it established an Office of the Children’s Commissioner as an independent office that is responsible for empowering and protecting the rights of children as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

ILO has a development cooperation program with the Government of Malaysia, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) through the Malaysia Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2021-25. THe DWCP has several target outcomes including the eradication of forced labour and child labour. This component is supported by the ILO BRIDGE project to realise the implementation of the 2014 ILO Protocol and Recommendation on Forced Labour. ILO is a Member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

Member of the MAPO Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed to strengthen enforcement efforts.

IOM Malaysia’s areas of work include refugee resettlement; migration health; cultural orientation; assisted voluntary return of victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants; immigration and border management; labour migration and human development: and migration law, policy and public information. It is a member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

Coalition that includes GSB, PL8, National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO), Engender Consultancy, Stop Human Trafficking (SHUT), SUKA Society, Be My Protector, Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK), Tenaganita and the Earthworm Foundation.

MCCHR is a non-partisan and non-profit organisation that aims to provide an integrated approach towards the protection and promotion of human rights in Malaysia via its UndiMsia! and strategic litigation programmes. It takes up between three to five strategic litigation cases per year to defend and promote constitutional protections and human rights. These cases are in the areas of right to fair trial, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, freedom of religion, equality and anti-discrimination and protection of human rights defenders.

Member of the MAPO Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed to strengthen enforcement efforts. It focuses on law enforcement in the Malaysian Maritime Zone.

Lead Ministry for MAPO council. The MHA is also the focal point for the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC). The Ministry has established cooperation with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) and the IOM.

MOHR is responsible for skills development, labour, occupational safety and health, trade unions, industrial relations, industrial court, labour market information and analysis, social security.

KPWKM heads the Human Trafficking Victims Care and Protection Committee (JPPMPO) in MAPO. Funds eight shelters for trafficking victims: five government-operated and three NGO-operated. Runs intervention services and programs for victim of trafficking, including free health and treatment service, counselling service, legal and court matters, work permits. Works with NGOs to provide medical, counselling and interpreter services to victims.

NCWO is a national coalition of 116 women’s organisations across Malaysia. It advocates for the mainstreaming of women’s full and equal participation in all areas of development, including: human rights; anti-trafficking; unity; women’s health; gender equality; women entrepreneurship; marginalised women and communities; and the critical role of women in sustainable development.

Implements and coordinates national security policies and programmes on the aspects of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants that are decided by the High Level Committee and the MAPO. Member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

Project Liber8 is a non-profit organisation dedicated to shifting attitudes around human trafficking. It was started by a 19-year-old girl in 2011 and has a strong youth focus. It works on four areas to empower youths across generations – knowledge production, technology, data science and partnerships. It is a member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

Protect and Save the Children focuses solely on the prevention, intervention and treatment of Child Sexual Abuse. It has four broad thematic work areas: education, case management, treatment, and advocacy.

RMP serves as the lead enforcement agency under ATIPSOM and has assigned 248 officers to its specialized anti-trafficking unit. It is also a member of the MAPO Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed to strengthen enforcement efforts.

D11 is a unit in the RMP that handles cases relating to sexual crimes including child sexual crimes. D11’s Victim Care Officers (VCOs) have been appointed as Victim Assistance Specialists (VAS) for TIP cases, particularly those relating to child trafficking. D11’s VCOs will be integrated into the VAS for TIP cases to provide support and assistance to victims of sex crimes. Currently, there are a total of 28 VCOs throughout the country.

Member of the MAPO Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed to strengthen enforcement efforts.

SHUT focuses on the prevention of human trafficking in Malaysia through awareness programmes and campaigns. SHUT stands for Secure, Humanity, Understanding and Take Action.

SUKA Society works to protect and preserve the best interests of marginalized and vulnerable children in Malaysia. It has a TIP programme where it runs therapeutic programmes to help survivors cope with their trauma and stress. These therapeutic sessions are held at the government protection shelters in KL, Johor and Negeri Sembilan for both women and children. It also helps to conduct interviews with children who are suspected of being trafficked by syndicates.

Tenaganita is a Malaysian human rights organisation dedicated in assisting, building, advocating and protecting migrants, refugees, women and children from exploitation, abuse, discrimination, slavery and human trafficking. Its main programmes are: migrant rights protection, refugee action programme, anti-TIP and shelter for women in crisis. It receives funding from the Malaysian Government to run shelter homes for TIP victims. It also also a member of the Victim Assessment & Coordination Committee (VAC), whih is coordinated by the NSO MAPO.

UNICEF Malaysia works on four thematic areas: protection from violence: education/right to school; nutrition and well-being; and right to development. It is a member of the Technical Working Group for the development of the National Action Plan on Anti Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025.

Yayasan Chow Kit is a 24-hour crisis and drop-in centre providing meals, activities, therapy, case management, ​and educational programmes for at-risk children and teenagers around Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur.