A human rights activist and Member of Parliament (MP) in Malaysia has lashed out at the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for being in denial over the tragic baby-selling scandal that has further cast Malaysia in an embarrassing light, following recent international media coverage of the arrest of activist Maria Chin, as well as a Al-Jazeera report on baby-selling in the country.
The damning documentary detailed an industry that witnessed alleged collusion between doctors, sex workers, traffickers, pregnant mothers in puppy mill-esque shelters, and government institutions.
“Our inspector-general of police must come down from his throne and explain to the people, professionally, on the rise in babies being sold in the black market after 14 years, despite reports in BBC News back in July 2002, instead of impulsively denying the truth” – Ms. Kathuri Patto, activist & MP
Details emerging from the documentary depicted a long web of corruption that stretched from doctors charging exorbitant “birth certificate” fees for deliveries of babies in the baby trade, to officers in the JPN, or the National Registration Department. The JPN operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Malaysia not baby-selling hub – IGP @KBAB51 https://t.co/4pUsSk73bZ pic.twitter.com/9b0DRxxsGT
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) November 27, 2016
Investigate all the involved parties too. This has been going on for over 15 years in Malaysia.
No need to be defensive. Admit and rectify https://t.co/QSzXKaUGiV— Kasthuri Patto (@KasthuriPatto) November 30, 2016
Ms. Kasthuri said that this issue has been raised time and time again in Parliament, but that the government has been “slow to act”.
Civil society and local media have been reporting on the problem for years:
Ms. Patto, in an article on local portal Malaysiakini, said, “I raised this matter of the rising number of babies born out of wedlock, using Islamic Development Department (Jakim) statistics and the matter of adoption, in Parliament on Oct 30, 2014.”
From Al-Jazeera:
“The buyers are often childless couples desperate to start a family and frustrated with the country’s convoluted adoption procedures. But activists say some babies are bought for more sinister purposes, sometimes by syndicates who groom children for paedophiles.
During a four-month undercover investigation, Al Jazeera discovered just how easy it is to find a baby to buy in Malaysia and to obtain the false documents required to change a baby’s identity.”
The Inspector General of Police, while not denying that such activities do occur, instead claimed that “it is not that easy”:
“It cannot be denied that baby selling occurs in Malaysia, but it is not as easy as shown in the video, because the police constantly monitor such activities. ” – IGP Khalid Abu Bakar
The documentary however, has successfully highlighted a dark and morally vile industry that involves a entrenched network of corrupt individuals, organizations, and officials.
Stay tuned as FAM delves into the doctors and government officials that are also involved in the baby selling scheme.
#AlJazeera uncovers network of baby #trafficking: corrupt doctors & government officials in #Malaysia https://t.co/olKhNWBlcm +VIDEO
— OriginalBADYOGAKITTY (@minamaya13) November 28, 2016
