/2014/09/25/60362089p.jpg)
JAKARTA. Malaysia has deported 13 female victims of alleged human trafficking to Indonesia through the Batam International Seaport in Riau Islands province, an official has said.
"They have been secured by the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia. The Indonesian Consulate in Johor also accommodated them before their repatriation," Febriana, an official with the Social Affairs Ministry who accompanied the victims, said in Batam, Riau Islands, as quoted by Antara news agency on Thursday.
The 13 female victims were initially meant to be employed as commercial sex workers in entertainment spots in Malaysia, the official said.
According to Febriana, the young women will be accommodated in rooms at city's social affairs office until they return to their hometowns.
"The alleged victims hold Batam immigration passports. They were traded to Malaysia by a tekong (local broker)," she said on Wednesday, adding that the women were traumatized over what had happened to them in Malaysia.
Febriana further noted that the victims would be sent home to their villages by a Kelud vessel after their health improved.
On Dec. 5, Malaysia deported eight problematic adult migrant workers and four toddlers through Batam. The eight migrant workers entered Malaysia with incomplete documents.
They suffered harsh treatment while in Malaysia and were not paid at their workplaces. So they escaped, Febriana revealed.
According to the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), some 5,000 of them are serving prison sentences.
