Human Trafficking in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries]Street Children in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery State of Brunei Darussalam [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The State of Brunei remains
listed as a “special case” for a third consecutive year because the lack of
reliable data makes it unclear whether there is a significant number of
victims in the country. The presence of large numbers of legal migrant
laborers in the country presents the possibility that some may face
conditions of involuntary servitude. Coupled with reported predominant use of
labor mediation rather than criminal prosecution in cases of severe labor
exploitation, this raises concerns that there may be a trafficking problem in
Brunei. Scope and
Magnitude. Brunei is a destination country for men and women who
migrate legally from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, the
People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.), and Thailand
for domestic or low-skilled labor. A small but unknown number may be
subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude after arrival. There were
isolated instances of women forced into prostitution in Brunei. In part due
to its small size, Brunei has a small trafficking challenge. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Brunei Darussalam. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No attempt has been made to verify their
authenticity or to validate their content. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** No
Human Trafficking Cases In Brunei: US State Department Since February last year, the Labour Department has brought cases directly against
employers who did not pay their workers. Formerly, such cases were brought by
the Attorney General's Office and took much longer to prosecute. In March
last year a military, officer was tined approximately $4,000 (B$6,668) or a
jail sentence in default for not paying his maid for more than 23 months. Further mentioned in the annual
report was the government's intervention in labour
disputes. Supporting this was when in September approximately 300 garment
factory workers protested publicly over unpaid salaries of up to 6 months. Employers have been warned that
they would be prosecuted if they defaulted on workers' salary payments or
paid them late. In September the government filed
charges for non-payment of wages against the board of directors of the
factory that employed the garment workers; among the accused was a former
cabinet minister. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country has been a destination for a small number of persons trafficked for
sexual exploitation from SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [e]
At least 100 thousand foreign persons worked in the country. There were
reports of foreign maids and other domestic workers who
worked exceptionally long hours, did not have a rest day, and had their
liberty severely restricted. There also were isolated reports of employers
who beat domestic employees or did not provide them with adequate food. The
government prosecuted some cases; employers found guilty of abuses typically
were fined and asked to compensate the victim. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2003 [14] The Committee is concerned
that insufficient efforts have been made to involve civil society in the full
implementation of the Convention and in the reporting process [18] The Committee is concerned at
the existing lack of systematic and comprehensive collection of disaggregated
data for all areas covered by the Convention and in relation to all groups of
children in order to monitor and evaluate progress achieved and assess the
impact of policies adopted with respect to children. [20] The Committee is aware of the
measures undertaken to promote widespread awareness of the principles and
provisions of the Convention and welcomes the translation of the Convention
into Malay, but is of the opinion that these measures are not sufficient and
need to be strengthened by providing the necessary resources. In this respect, the Committee is concerned
at the lack of a systematic plan to introduce training and raise awareness
among professional groups working for and with children. [41] The Committee welcomes the
enactment of the Islamic Adoption of the Children’s Order 2001 and
Adoption of Children Order 2001, which both came into force
on 26 March 2001 but remains concerned that the State party
has not ratified the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation
in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. [57] The Committee recommends that
the State party ratify the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights
of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child
pornography, and on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The
Protection Project - Brunei Darussalam FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Asian women end up as sex
slaves in Brunei Darussalam after being falsely promised employment as
housemaids. For instance, the
Philippine Embassy there recently assisted in the repatriation of two
Filipina victims who were lured to Brunei Darussalam with false promises of
jobs as guest relations officers or restaurant helpers but were instead
forced into prostitution upon their arrival.
Indonesian babies are sold to buyers from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia,
and other countries. Young people from
Brunei Darussalam and several other countries in southeastern Asia are
reportedly trafficked to Australia using student visas; in reality, however,
they rarely attend any classes but instead are forced by their traffickers to
sell drugs or to engage in prostitution. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 6 Civil
Liberties: 5 Status: Not
Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide No
Human Trafficking Cases In Brunei: US State Department Since February last year, the Labour Department has brought cases directly against
employers who did not pay their workers. Formerly, such cases were brought by
the Attorney General's Office and took much longer to prosecute. In March
last year a military, officer was tined approximately $4,000 (B$6,668) or a
jail sentence in default for not paying his maid for more than 23 months. Further mentioned in the annual
report was the government's intervention in labour
disputes. Supporting this was when in September approximately 300 garment
factory workers protested publicly over unpaid salaries of up to 6 months. Employers have been warned that
they would be prosecuted if they defaulted on workers' salary payments or
paid them late. In September the government filed
charges for non-payment of wages against the board of directors of the
factory that employed the garment workers; among the accused was a former
cabinet minister. Philippine Embassy
In Brunei Saves Two Filipinas From Human Trafficking 08 September 2004 – Secretary of
Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo commended the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam for its
collaborative efforts with the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the
Brunei Immigration authorities that led to the rescue of two Filipina workers
who were victims of human trafficking and forced to become sex
workers. The two Filipinas were later repatriated to
the Philippines through the efforts of the Embassy. In her report to the DFA, Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Virginia H.
Benavidez said that the official statements issued by the women at the
Philippine Embassy in Brunei showed that they were beguiled by a certain Loida Jose with business address in Kamias,
Quezon City, to work as waitresses in Brunei.
Supposedly these two victims would earn P40,000
each. Instead they discovered upon arrival that they were to work as guest
relations officers (GROs) at the Fun Pub and
Crossroads Club, which are reputed to be sex dens in Labuan.
“By the time we took custody of the two Filipina victims, they have been
working as prostitutes for more than a month,” Ambassador Benavidez reported. Stateless
And Vulnerable To Human Trafficking In Thailand [PDF] [page 28]
V
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY - In order to reduce the impact of statelessness
on non-citizens, opening up access to education and healthcare services to
children and permitting some forms of legitimate labor to those awaiting
proof of citizenship would eliminate the link between statelessness and human
trafficking. In Brunei, many ethnic Chinese do not have the right to
citizenship. As in Thailand, without access to citizenship these stateless
people in Brunei do not have access to subsidized healthcare services and
other government-provided services. While the stateless individuals suffer
from some of the same problems faced in Thailand, Brunei offers free
education to "stateless persons and permanent residents."146 By
providing education, Brunei relieves one of the problems for its stateless
people that make them vulnerable to exploitation. Human
trafficking cases increased [General Santos City, Philippines] Sheila, Valerie and Bridget (not
their real names), who hailed from poor families here, have set their sights
to as far as Manila, Brunei, and
Japan for employment to alleviate the plight of their respective
families. However, instead of working
as domestic helpers, they ended up as prostitutes. Their recruiters vanished
like thin smokes in the air. Coalition Against
Trafficking in Women - Brunei CASE - Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, brother to the Sultan of Brunei, was
sued for US$90 million by a former Miss USA. Shannon Marketic
claimed that she and six other women were held as virtual prisoners for 32
days and told they were expected to engage in sexual activity at all-night
parties. A U.S. District Judge ruled that Prince Jefri
was protected under the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act and cannot be sued in
the United States. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries]Street Children in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Brunei Darussalam] [other countries]