21-12-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) Two Filipino children, victims of forced labour, have been liberated from a factory in Senai during a major immigration enforcement operation, authorities revealed today. The discovery has sparked concerns over child exploitation in the region’s manufacturing sector.
The children, aged 12 and 13, were discovered during a large-scale raid conducted by the Johor Immigration Department as part of Operation Mahir. Immigration Director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus confirmed that the youngsters had been subjected to labour exploitation for approximately two to three months.
The raid, which took place following 48 hours of surveillance, led to the inspection of nearly 300 individuals and the arrest of 128 illegal foreign workers, including 54 women. In a significant development, the factory’s human resources officer, a 44-year-old man, has been arrested under anti-trafficking legislation.
“The children have been transferred to our Setia Tropika facility for safeguarding and further investigation,” stated the Immigration Director. The operation was initiated after intelligence gathered from a previous raid revealed workers using counterfeit Malaysian identification documents.
Among those detained, five individuals were found in possession of fraudulent Malaysian identity cards, prompting a separate investigation by the National Registration Department under Regulation 25 of the National Registration Regulations.
In a parallel operation on the same day, authorities dismantled a human trafficking operation in Larkin Indah, where a transit house was being used to harbour illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The syndicate, which had been operating for approximately two months, allegedly charged RM13,000 per person to facilitate illegal entry into Malaysia via Singapore.
Two Bangladeshi nationals, aged 37 and 42, suspected of being syndicate operatives, were apprehended. Officers seized multiple Bangladeshi passports, RM14,500 in cash, and a vehicle during the raid.
