MALAYSIA has been in the spotlight not as a source country but rather as a transit point for child trafficking.

A recent assessment found such trafficking activities continued despite the best efforts of the governments concerned and aid agencies.

The study, "Child Trafficking in East and Southeast Asia: Reversing the Trend", showed that a new approach was needed to confront not only child trafficking, but also other related forms of abuse and exploitation.

There were many instances of child labour, sexual exploitation and child violence or neglect.

The study showed that much had been done in generating bilateral, multilateral and transnational cooperation besides legislative and policy reform.

It was found, however, that enforcement of laws was generally poor in the countries.

Unicef said the study concluded that what was required to address the situation was the development of national child protection systems within countries, similar to the creation of effective health systems.

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