Dehumanization of tourism: Are Bajau Laut children being exploited?

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 take nude photos of children in Bajau Laut.

Scoop recently witnessed such an incident on Omadal Island, Semporna.

Mohd Rahmat Mosa, an activist and volunteer teacher at Omadal, recounted the incident.

“They (tourists) were so rude that at one point, when they saw fully dressed children passing by, they asked them to undress because they wanted to take pictures. Throwing food at the Bajau Laut children is a normal habit among them,” he said.

Omadal is an island about an hour’s boat ride from the mainland of Semporna. The island is home to over 150 Bajau Laut families who live in ramshackle huts on stilts.

Bajau Laut children do not have citizenship and therefore do not receive formal education.

Even though Omadal is not a tourist attraction, tour operators bring tourists to the island every day. They do not need a permit to do so, because the island is not within the official boundaries of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park.

Concerns about exploitation grew after an accident in May last year, when a Bajau Laut boy with epilepsy fell from a bridge and drowned while trying to grab snack bags thrown by tourists.

“That’s why we were angry. Omadal is not a tourist place and the travel agencies don’t have to follow the SOP. They come in and take pictures, and they like taking pictures of naked children the most,” Rahmat said.

The incident caused unrest in the Omadal community, which consists of the Bajau Ubian, who live on the land, and the Bajau Laut, who live in stilt houses on the water.

It is now a norm for tourists and their guides to lure Bajau Laut children with food and money for photos. Travel agencies have not provided tourists with proper guidance on this issue.

This raises questions about “careless tourism” and the lack of respect shown by tourists and guides to the Bajau Laut community. There is an urgent need for management of the tourism sector so that the lives and dignity of the Bajau Laut are not compromised.

Taking nude photos of children is a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, and is punishable upon conviction by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of RM20,000, or both. – August 11, 2024

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