Malaysia should enact laws to protect victims of human trafficking who are now being treated as criminals under immigration laws.

Perak Ruler Sultan Azlan Shah, the former Lord President of the Federal Court, said comprehensive laws are required to stop the trafficking of women and children, and humans as a whole, while protecting victims of this crime.

"These laws must impose just punishment to the traffickers while the victims must be given adequate shelter," he said when opening the convention of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The five-day convention, themed 'A New Age For Women and Girls', will discuss issues such as trafficking of women and girls, women's rights, HIV/Aids and women's rights, and the role of women lawyers in protecting the rights of women.

Sultan Azlan Shah also said bilateral and multilateral co-operation between countries is needed to eradicate this crime, according to Bernama.