THE story of indigenous girls being abused, Penan or otherwise, is not new.

This has been going on for several years and not just by loggers but also by unscrupulous traders who want the goods and services these people can provide.

In the course of my work and travel in Sabah and Sarawak, I was fortunate to meet and live with several indigenous people.

I met some of these girls and was made aware that some of them were recruited to work as sex slaves in the cities, not just of Sabah and Sarawak but also on the Southeast Asian circuit.

Abuse is not limited to the womenfolk.

Men, too, were plied with cheap alcohol to make them compliant or dependent on the giver.

Giving drugs to make them addicted, and thus dependent on the giver, was also a perverse form of coercion.

In return for this dependence, the men were offered ridiculously reduced amo-unts of money for their goods and services.

These services were not limited to logging, gathering jungle produce or exchanging of their cottage industry goods. In essence, they were signing away their rights and responsibilities.

Last month, the Bruno Manser Fund highlighted the plight of Penan girls on its website.

Then the denials came in thick and fast. One was the report in the NST on Sept 24, “Sarawak chief minister dismisses claims by Bruno Manser Fund”.

Similar reports from the police and other tribal representatives voiced more or less the same thing. They wanted more proof.

They claimed that teachers in the area had not reported any such abuse. These denials and inaction fill me with dread and loathing.

Here we are comfortable and complacent in our towns and cities, and unaware that these people are being coerced, forced and abused against their will.

Be mindful that these communities are isolated and small. Serious retributions and reprisals may await them, were it known that some form of complaint had been made to the police or the relevant authorities.

Therefore, confidentiality and protection of the complainants and their communities are vital if they are to come forward.

Conversely, the authorities may issue denials as it is a reflection on the performance of their duties in upholding and enforcing the law.

It may also be a simple case of what their police operating budget permits. Treks into the interior are not cheap.

Four-wheel drives, boats, maybe even helicopter rides, all cost vast amounts of money, just to take down notes for the police report or to clarify some minor points.

Now that an avalanche of condemnations and offers of support have been highlighted in this paper, the problem can no longer be swept aside by all parties. There’s no smoke without fire! I think it’s time the authorities investigated this matter with the urgency it deserves.

MARIAM MOKHTAR, Ipoh

Source: NST – October 10, 2008