COMMENT | Every month, heroes from Malaysia’s civil society rescue their fellow citizens from the horrors of modern slavery in scam compounds in Southeast Asia.

They do so without the publicity and search for fame.

On their rescue missions, they often save victims from other countries in the region, especially those from Indonesia who reach out to them because of the common language.

Currently, an average of 20 Malaysian trafficking victims are rescued monthly by civil society initiatives.

While middle bureaucrats in Malaysian embassies do their best to assist these efforts, the embassies lack an adequate budget to even provide pocket money for victims whose lives have been irreparably harmed.