PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry (KDN) today launched the MAPO Integrated Data System (MIDS) to enhance its efforts in combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling crimes.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said MIDS is a data management system designed to coordinate, gather and centralise data related to these crimes.
“With MIDS, data from various sources can be integrated and analysed comprehensively to provide a holistic overview, enabling more accurate and informed decision-making,” he said today.
Speaking to reporters after launching the MIDS at the MAPO 2024 Appreciation Ceremony, he said the system was developed in-house by the ministry’s Information Technology Division.
“We use the analysed data (from MIDS) to make projections and plan mitigation strategies.
“For example, if the data indicates an increasing trend of human trafficking incidents, we can analyse this data, plot graphs, and predict future trends of human trafficking crimes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the government’s effort to amend Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007 in 2022 has had a positive impact on addressing human trafficking crimes involving children.
He said this was based on the feedback he received from the ministry’s officers.
In 2022, the government amended Section 14 of the ATIPSOM Act 2007, where there is no need to prove the means used for exploiting children, and stricter penalties were introduced for the offence of trafficking children, with imprisonment of up to 30 years.
In another development, Saifuddin Nasution urged non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to report to the authorities any information they have about Malaysians who have become victims of human trafficking in Myanmar.
“If NGOs have the latest information, they can share it with the authorities to be cross-checked with police and Wisma Putra data,” he said.
