No Human Trafficking Cases In Brunei: US State Department
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan – No cases of human trafficking were reported in Brunei Darussalam last year and there were very few identifiable cases of trafficking, a US State Department Human Rights report released on the US State Department's website on Thursday showed.

Further highlighted in the report was the effective enforcement of the nation's labour laws by the Labour Department. Entitled "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," the report, which covers the year 2005, disclosed that the majority of women who entered the country as sex workers were considered to have done so voluntarily.

By definition, trafficking in human beings includes recruiting, harbouring, obtaining, and transporting people by use of force, fraud, or coercion, for commercial sexual exploitation {including prostitution) or involuntary labour, slavery included.

The report said immigration, labour and religious regulations that criminalise prostitution also served to deter trafficking.

The report further stated that in December 2004 the government introduced a specific anti-trafficking law under which a person convicted of trafficking persons, harbouring smuggled persons, or endangering the lives or safety of trafficked or smuggled persons can be fined up to B$1 million, imprisoned for up to 30 years, and caned.

"A person convicted of facilitating trafficking or smuggling persons can be fined up to $30,303 (B$50 thousand) and imprisoned for up to 10 years.

"There were no reported cases of human trafficking. Immigration and other law enforcement officials began receiving training to investigate and prosecute suspected offenders to deal with trafficked victims under the terms of the new law.

"Police officials participated in five overseas training courses dealing with human trafficking," the report stated.

The report also mentioned the Bulletin for publishing letters to the editor which commented on social, economic and environmental issues which the government had responded to especially on topics concerning social or environmental problems.

It also stated that the Bulletin also reported the activities of the Consumers Association of Brunei Darussalam and the three political parties; National Development Party, Brunei Solidarity National Party and Brunei People's Awareness Party.

Also mentioned in the report was the Labour Department's effective enforcement of the labour regulations. The Department which is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs has also effectively enforced laws on the employment of children. There were no reports of violations of the child labour laws, the report stated.

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.

In late November 2005, members of the board of directors were charged with 126 counts relating to unpaid salaries of 19 workers, and more charges were expected to be filed to reflect the total number of workers not paid by the company. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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