UiTM expert says organised syndicates are coercing migrant and stateless children into forced begging across Malaysia, demanding urgent national action
PETALING JAYA: Toddlers in traffic junctions, infants on pavements and young children wandering alone at night are not tragic coincidences – they are the visible frontline of a fast-expanding trafficking network coercing Malaysia’s most vulnerable minors into organised begging.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) border-security expert Dr Mohd Ramlan Mohd Arshad said the phenomenon – long overshadowed by labour and sex trafficking – now demands urgent national attention, with cases already documented both locally and internationally.
“In 2021, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery identified the coerced begging of Rohingya refugee children in Malaysia as a significant issue.
“This aligns with the US Trafficking in Persons Report 2023, which repeatedly recorded cases of migrant and stateless minors forced into begging by syndicates.”
He added that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) had, as early as 2019, warned that undocumented children were exceptionally vulnerable to such exploitation.
Unlike dramatic cross-border trafficking cases, Mohd Ramlan said these networks primarily exploit local vulnerabilities and community linkages.
“Our research shows syndicates mostly use local connections, including familial or community ties, for recruitment.”
Parents in high-risk migrant communities – particularly Rohingya, Indonesian, Filipino and stateless families – are often pressured or misled into surrendering their children, he said.
“Some victims are moved within Malaysia or between neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
“Syndicates may also obtain custody through dubious ‘informal adoption’ arrangements or by paying impoverished parents a small fee. Once in control, traffickers maintain dominance through psychological manipulation, debt bondage and threats of violence.”
He said children are targeted because they yield high returns with minimal risk.
“People are far more likely to give money to very young children, especially toddlers. Their vulnerability and inability to seek help make them easy – and tragically disposable – tools for exploitation.”
He said even when no adults are visibly present, children remain tightly controlled through fear.
“Traffickers instil threats – harm to the children or their families – so the child learns that disobedience has consequences.”
Mohd Ramlan said debt bondage is common, with children told they must repay impossible sums, creating lifelong trauma and violating the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) standards and international conventions.
“Unicef assessments consistently identify non-citizen children with uncertain legal status as the most vulnerable. Rohingya refugees are disproportionately affected due to statelessness, poverty and lack of formal protection. Indonesian, Filipino and stateless children face similar risks, especially when their parents have been detained or deported.
“These children often share the same risk factors: absence of education, fear of authorities, extreme poverty and no legal safeguards. Syndicates know how to exploit every one of these weaknesses.”
Forced child begging is most visible in high-traffic zones. In Kuala Lumpur, hotspots include Bukit Bintang, Masjid India and Petaling Street, and in Selangor, parts of Klang.
Enforcement officers have reported that organised groups can collect up to RM3,000 a day.
Mohd Ramlan stressed that responses must prioritise child safety over immigration enforcement.
“When a child is found, the first step is ensuring they are moved to a safe, non-detention shelter.”
He added that a multidisciplinary team must conduct a best-interest assessment, including medical and psychological care, with NGOs facilitating communication and safeguarding disclosures.
Mohd Ramlan said family tracing should follow but only when reunification is deemed safe.
“Rapid repatriation often leads to re-trafficking,” he warned, adding that long-term protection plans – which are centred on rehabilitation, education and safety – are essential to break the cycle of exploitation.
