Low Pay, Crammed Quarters

Maznon, who has just completed form five, comes from a kampung in Mersing. Like many other girls, she was drawn to the city by friends already working in factories.

"There wasn't anything to do in Mersing," she said. She had written to the factory, as friends had advised, and instead of waiting at home for a reply, she packed her bags and left home to squat with her factory girl friends in Sungei Way village.

"That's how most of us end up here," Maznon explained. "Friends would write home telling us of their work, how easy it is to get a job and how much they get."