A last look behind the veil.

Malaysia...

I've told you about the shopping... the food... the shopping. By now, you may be wondering where the rest of it is. Where is the insightful truths that we're used to seeing from the Cambodia posts?

You are correct. I have been saving those for last. I've shown you the glitz and glamor of a nation whose economy is doing fairly well, but I haven't mentioned anything about what lies beneath the mask. Allow me to expound.

Just as water reflects a person's face, so does too does the people reflect a Nation.

What I've shown you thus far has been more of the touristy side of Malay. This is the part "they" want you to see... bright lights, happy faces, welcoming smiles. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. Indeed, we enjoyed spending time in that world and will likely go back and do so again if we are able. I just didn't want to sign off without giving you at least a glimpse of what lies beneath the surface.

It's not always super-shiny :)

Working with Sak Saum has opened my eyes to a great many things, including and especially the suffering of others. You see, a good portion of the girls that are rescued by Sak Saum come from here. They were coerced in one form or another into traveling to Malaysia to find 'work' and then, of course, were exploited or abused in some way.

One thing I observed while there was that this Nation does not place a very high value on women. Men get respect, sure, but women are forced to take a back seat. Jess journeyed into one of the smaller areas of Kuala Lumpur - Little India - and found this out the hard way. Random strange men would often give dirty looks, or make insulting comments about her and Ginny.

Dress code for women - no skin, and cover your head!

I myself could see the attitude as well, even in the malls. Women were forced to cover their heads, both as a cultural rule and as a dress code to work. No, this doesn't seem all that horrible, but think about it. I was in the most anti-antiquated part of the entire country, and these things bled through. Imagine what it's like in the 'real' world.

Better yet, let me give you an example. One day, a young girl is told by her family that she has to go to Malaysia to make money to help pay off the family (read: parents') debt. She travels across the border with promises of good money and easy work. At this point, one of several things happens:

1. She's forced into hard labor working in construction hauling bricks in a wheelbarrow all day long.

2. She's tricked and sold into "slavery" and forced to take on 10-15 "clients" a night.

3. She's forced to work as a housekeeper (read: slave) at a pitiful wage and the owner of the home (read: slavemaster) is allowed to beat her. Hard. This typically results in scars or permanent injuries, making it hard to function in society even if the girl manages to get away (read: ouch!).

Little India. The architecture is always welcoming, even if the people aren't.

What do we do about it? Well, Sak Saum is dedicated to rescuing girls like these. The story examples I'm giving you are real, and are taken in part (sometimes in whole) from the guys and girls of Sak Saum.

The real question is, what can YOU do about it? Head over to http://www.saksaum.org/ and see for yourself. Be sure to check out the To(get)her and blog sections (wait for the banner to scroll to see the link to the blog).

It's worth noting that it was refreshing to see signs written in a language that you can actually sound out the words!

Thus ends our little trip to Malaysia. We'll eventually go back, and I am sure I will bring you all along with me.

If you go to Kuala Lumpur to relax and take in some shopping, enjoy the trip, and remember....

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. :)