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KOTA KINABALU: Foreign women "controlled" by vice syndicates are entering Sabah as tourists to avoid detection by the authorities.
Social activist Anne Keyworth said she had personally come across women, mostly Filipinas, who were threatened by syndicates to comply with their demands.
She said the women, seen at some hotels, were believed to be under the watchful eye of "well-connected" syndicates.
"Based on my experience in dealing with these women, many of them have husbands and children back home and they are so cash-strapped that they are easily cheated into the flesh trade.
"They fear for the safety of their families back home if they don't comply with demands of these syndicates.
"The modus operandi of these syndicates is to ferry the girls to hotels where they are met by their clients after arrangements are made.
"They will be taken back to their quarters after they have provided their services," Keyworth said in a statement.
Keyworth, who is the founder of Bukit Harapan, a half-way home for the disabled, single mothers, abused women and the needy, said the authorities should stay one step ahead of syndicates if the problem was to be addressed.
She alleged that she had at one point called the police to inform them of a group of Filipinas at a hotel but that there was no response.
"We must also discourage people from seeking the services of these women and at the same time, hotel operators should function as the eyes and ears of the authorities to help these women," she said.
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