Malaysia’s baby black market: A cycle of fear, loopholes and exploitation

SHAH ALAM – Malaysia’s black market for child adoption thrives on corruption and weak safeguards, with babies sold for as little as RM2,000 and often ending up in the hands of abusers.

Infants can be purchased for as little as RM1,500 to RM2,000, a grim indicator of how gaps in Malaysia’s adoption system, weak enforcement and deep-rooted cultural taboos.

Experts warned that corruption, stigma and lack of safeguards were fuelling a black market that left vulnerable mothers exploited and children at risk of abuse.

The disturbing trend was highlighted by criminologist and principal consultant of Arunachala Research and Consultancy Sdn Bhd R. Paneir Selvam who said such cases were not isolated.

"The recent revelations about offenders acquiring babies from unmarried mothers for as little as RM1,500 in Malaysia highlight the vulnerability of certain populations and the systemic failures that allow such exploitation to happen," he told Sinar Daily.

He said the factors behind these practices were deeply rooted in socio-economic conditions and cultural taboos.

He added that unmarried mothers, particularly from marginalised communities were often pressured to give up their children due to lack of emotional and financial support.

"The black market for child adoption in Malaysia is an ongoing issue and it is deeply tied to both domestic and international trafficking networks.

"In the 2019 case in Selangor, a syndicate was discovered facilitating illegal adoptions, often by targeting vulnerable women particularly those from lower-income or rural backgrounds," he said.

He said many mothers were manipulated into believing their children will have a better life, only to have them exploited for forced labour, sexual abuse or sold to abusers.

This system, he said thrived because of corruption and inefficiencies within adoption processes.

He said Malaysia’s position as a regional hub made it particularly attractive for foreign nationals to come and adopt children through illicit means.

Paneir recalled high-profile cases in the early 2000s where foreign nationals from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries entered Malaysia under the pretence of adoption but later exploited the children.

He warned that illegal adoptions bypassed both local and international safeguards, including the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, which Malaysia has yet to fully adopt.

He pointed to the case of Richard Huckle, a British national who abused children while posing as a volunteer in Malaysia as evidence of how easily foreigners can exploit the country’s adoption system and child welfare safeguards, raising serious concerns about child protection.

He added that the loopholes were glaring.

He said adoptions often lack proper follow-up to ensure the child’s welfare, especially when the adoptive parents were linked to black-market networks.

He highlighted that while the Child Act 2001 was designed to protect children, its enforcement remained weak.

"Adoption agencies may falsify documents or overlook mandatory background checks, allowing individuals with criminal backgrounds or malicious intentions to adopt children.

"While Malaysia’s adoption laws theoretically aim to protect children, in practice, there are numerous weaknesses, such as inconsistent enforcement, insufficient oversight of adoption agencies and loopholes that traffickers exploit," he said.

Paneir also outlined the significance of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which criminalises sexual grooming, pornography and statutory rape with harsh penalties, but he noted challenges in enforcement.

Meanwhile, OrphanCare Foundation Baby Rescue Department social worker Nuur’ain Binti Mohd Kharir said fear and stigma were key drivers pushing mothers into risky situations.

"Whoever comes to the local baby hatch, we know they are afraid when they ask questions like whether they will face action from the authorities, from the police and so on.

"Then, they are also afraid their parents or family will find out, they feel ashamed and they fear facing society, the stigma of society," she said.

Nuur’ain said these vulnerable mothers often just wanted someone to care for their baby, not realising the dangers of handing them over to exploiters.

"Probably what’s going through their minds at that time is that they need someone to care for their baby. So there is this party who says, ‘Okay, I can take care of the baby, just hand the baby to me’ and that’s what happens," she said.

She added that these mothers love their children but were unable to raise them under their circumstances.

She said many mothers recognised they could not care for their babies while they were pregnant and therefore sought someone who can.

Both Paneir and Nuur’ain emphasised that unless Malaysia strengthens safeguards, invests in enforcement and provides greater support to vulnerable mothers, the cycle of exploitation will continue.