SEMPORNA – In recent years, the exploitation of the Bajau Laut people for tourism has become a topic of discussion in the news and on social media.
Local activists and humanitarian groups allege that tourists have been taking photos of Bajau Laut children in the nude.
Scoop witnessed one such incident first-hand on Omadal Island, Semporna, recently.
Mohd Rahmat Mosa, an activist and volunteer teacher on Omadal, recounted the incident.
“They (tourists) were so rude that at one point, when they saw fully clothed children walking by, they asked them to strip because they wanted to take pictures. Throwing food at the Bajau Laut children is a norm among them,” he said.
Omadal is an island about an hour by boat from the mainland of Semporna. The island is home to more than 150 Bajau Laut families who live in ramshackle huts on stilts.
The Bajau Laut children have no citizenship and thus do not receive formal education.
Even though Omadal is not a tourist spot, tour companies still bring tourists to the island daily, and they do not require a permit to do so because the island is not within the gazetted boundary of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park.
Concerns about exploitation escalated after an accident in May last year, when a Bajau Laut boy with epilepsy fell from a bridge and drowned while scrambling for packets of snacks thrown by tourists.
“That was why we were angry. Omadal is not a tourist place, and the tour agencies do not need to obey the standard operating procedure (SOP). They come in and take pictures, and they like taking pictures of naked children the most,” Rahmat said.
The incident upset the Omadal community, which comprises the Bajau Ubian, who live on land, and the Bajau Laut, who live in stilt homes on the water.
It is now a norm for tourists and their guides to lure Bajau Laut children with food and money for photographs. Travel agencies have not provided tourists with proper guidelines on the matter.
This raises questions about “careless tourism” and the lack of respect shown by tourists and tour guides towards the Bajau Laut community. There is a pressing need for the tourism sector to be managed, ensuring that the lives and dignity of the Bajau Laut are not intruded upon.
Taking naked pictures of children is an offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable by a maximum of ten years imprisonment, a RM20,000 fine, or both upon conviction. – August 11, 2024