KUALA LUMPUR: The government will focus on improving the seven negative ratings cited in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report issued by the United States (US) Department of State.
This is to enable the country to move to Tier 1 ranking, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the negative ratings were attributed to, among others, gaps between the number of trafficking victims reported and the number of victims rescued.
"The reported cases of trafficking victims is one issue and the number who have been rescued is another issue.
"(Hence), when a gap exists, this means that we still need to improve the number of identified victims who need to be rescued.
"Simultaneously, there were also negative comments on corruption and misconduct by authorities, which has been emphasised by the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim).
"The prime minister has also stressed the importance of the government in addressing this issue seriously.
"So, when enforcement agencies still have integrity issues. It is something that we need to pay attention to," he said during the minister's explanatory session over the report in the Lower House today.
Saifuddin added that the government would strive to maintain the eight positive ratings outlined in the report.
He said Malaysia received positive ratings in the number of cases detected and the number of investigation papers opened on human trafficking cases.
He also said more emphasis would be given towards the 16 improvement recommendations outlined in the report, where the government is currently refining the areas.
"Malaysia is also positively rated in the increasing awareness programmes where the topic of human trafficking is being widely discussed, debated and featured in forums.
"At the same time, there are certain areas for improvement and as part of the government's strategy to progress to Tier 1, we are currently refining these aspects.
"The government believes that our target of moving up the ranking can be achieved if we improve on these 16 areas."
Malaysia has been upgraded to Tier 2 in the latest TIP Report.
Last year, Malaysia moved up from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List. Between 2018 and 2020, Malaysia was also on the Tier 2 Watch List.
The move from Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2 in the US State Department's annual TIP report indicated that the government has made significant efforts to improve its response to human trafficking.
Following this, Saifuddin said that the three issues being looked into to further upgrade Malaysia's ranking included capacity building, inter-agency cooperation and enhancing laws and regulations.