‘Stop female slave trade’

United for acommon cause: TEDxWeldQuay curator and licensee Neoh Yee Ling (third left)taking a group photo with the speakers (from left) Kim, Syerleena, Wanis, Regina, Yoong, Boonsiri, Tan and Dr Hartini during break time at the Town Hall, Esplanade.

AROUND 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across the international borders every year and 80% of them are women.

Penang Stop Human Trafficking commu-nity worker Kim Khaira stressed that human trafficking equates to modern-day slavery.

“The South-East Asian region accounts for 75% of human trafficking,” she said.

Kim was among eight speakers who spoke at the TEDxWeldQuayWomen conference at the Town Hall at the Esplanade recently.

Author Regina Ibrahim shared the challenges of being a transwoman.

“Just imagine how unfair it is for me when they sometimes want to examine my genitals at the Immigration.

“I am standing here telling you the life of the ‘other woman’.”

Regina said many people neglected their existence.

“We are smart. We speak about the Creator. We say he is forgiving, very merciful and powerful.

“But we are called social deviant or sex workers. We are accused of anything that is ill-mannered,” she said.

Other speakers in the conference were freelance senior copywriter Wanis Suwini, Switch co-founder Peggy Tan, Precious Ones Collections director Josephine Yoong, Advanced Micro Devices finance and global services vice-president Boonsiri Somchit, Yayasan Siti Sapura Husin chief executive officer Dr Hartini Zainudin and Penang Island City councillor Syerleena Abdul Rashid.

The event was supported by the Penang Women’s Development Corporation and the state government.

Also present was state Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Chong Eng.