KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 26 (UPI) -- Malaysian police said Monday they rescued several Vietnamese women brought into Malaysia and forced into sex work.
The women were being held in Kuala Lumpur by three local men and a Vietnamese woman in a sex-trafficking ring, bikyamasr.com reported.
"We arrested the men and woman on Friday and are currently investigating the situation," a police official said.
The victims told police they were told by the traffickers they would have high-paying jobs as waitresses, but instead were forced into sex work.
They were also told they could either do sex work in hotels or marry local men to earn money to pay for their airfare and other costs it incurred to bring them to Malaysia, said Abdul Jalil Hassan, a Malaysian official for fighting vice.
Police are holding the suspects for further questioning while the victims will be placed in a witness protection center after undergoing medical check-ups, Hassan said.
"It is something that we need to get under control," said Kuala Lumpur women's rights advocate Nureen Disak. "It is a major struggle for so many of these girls because of the trauma inflicted on them and the horrors they have had to deal with on a daily basis."
