Trafficking of women and children is a regional, as well as an international and global, issue. Trade liberalization and globalization have encouraged the influx of trafficked victims and traffickers from one country to another, as in India and Malaysia. However, the primary policy that governs labor migration in India, Emigration Act of 1983 and its consequent Emigration Rules, is problematic, they actually encourage irregular migration or even trafficking, and further, stringent laws enforcing restrictive movements also further strengthens organized crime. In a similar vein, Malaysia’s labor migration policy as governed by the Immigration Act 1959/63, and other pertinent laws not only encourages even more irregular migrants, but also facilitates trafficking. Hence, this paper affirms the contention of various authors (Castles 2004; Chuang 2006; Jandl 2007) that globalization, labor migration and human trafficking are inextricably linked to each other. Moreover, this paper affirms that the governments of both India and Malaysia, have tried to address the issue of trafficking, however, problem areas are still abound. In addition, the presence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the partnerships they established with the government’s law enforcement agencies in order to address the issue of human trafficking is also affirmed. This partnership is beneficial for the society because where the state may not be able to provide basic services, NGOs and civil society groups can provide such necessary services. The dynamics of state – society partnership thus encapsulates the politics of human trafficking in India and Malaysia.
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