Withholding passports illegal, Govt warns

Partners against crime: Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Australia’s Immigration and Border Protection Minister, Scott Morrison, after signing an MoU, which will see both countries fighting transnational crimes including terrorism, human trafficking and serious organised crime, recently. - Picture by KDN

In a bid to curb human trafficking, the Home Affairs Ministry is engaging all stakeholders while stepping up enforcement on those who exploit foreign workers by withholding their travel documents. This is due to the fact that it is one of the indicators that could lead to labour exploitation or forced labour.

MALAYSIA is “going all out” to prevent human trafficking and one of the significant steps would include protecting foreign workers who come here to earn an honest living.

The Home Affairs Ministry will take a holistic approach and engage all the related ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGO), private sector and individual employers to achieve these objectives, its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Sunday Star.