M'sian child prostitutes found in Taiwan: Shows child sex trafficking's a growing problem
Child sex trafficking is a growing problem in Malaysia, said non-profit organisation Tenaganita director Aegile Fernandez.
Based on world statistics, about half of all those who are trafficked are children.
Fernandez said that 5,000 children are involved in the child sex trade in the Klang Valley - with Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit as the main areas.
These tourist-friendly areas are known to have pimps who go up to tourists asking if they want "youngsters, teens or children".
Paedophiles also add to the child sex trafficking problem.
And in such areas, no one would tend to think twice seeing a group of young children hanging around.
Sold as child prostitutes
Another growing problem is that Malaysian children are also being sold into child prostitution.
Between 2012 and 2014, almost 8,000 children had gone missing in the country.
Fernandez said they have travelled to countries such as Thailand and Indonesia and "found Malaysian children who are sex slaves".
She added:
“At a Taiwanese detention centre, Tenaganita found Malaysian children, aged between 15 and 16, being held. They were found to be involved in child prostitution.
“They had been lured to Taiwan with the promise of marriage and jobs by their 'boyfriends' but once in Taiwan, they were sold to child sex traffickers.”
Source: The Rakyat Post
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