Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
The 33-year-old maid, Ceriyati, attempted the daring weekend escape through the window of the building as the main apartment door was locked by her employer, but she got cold feet after descending three floors.
<P>She was rescued by firefighters alerted
by concerned residents who spotted her.</P>
<P>Anis Hidayah from the Jakarta-based
advocacy group Migrant Care said workers abroad needed better protection to prevent
abuse.</P><P>"Ceriyati’s case is the tip of the iceberg – once in a while
sensational cases like this one are splashed all over the media, but there are
many more untold stories of neglect and abuse of Indonesian workers abroad,"
Hidayah told AFP.</P><P>"The government has always reacted to cases under
the spotlight (but) not tried to make fundamental changes in migrant worker protection,"
she said.</P><P>"There is no guarantee that if a migrant worker works abroad
legally, their welfare will be protected… Take the case of Ceriyati – she’s
not an illegal worker."</P><P><B>High fatality rate</B></P><P>ElShinta radio
on Monday aired an emotional conference call between Ceriyati in Kuala Lumpur
and her family in Brebes, Central Java.</P><P>Ceriyati told her children in her
native Javanese that she wanted to come home soon.</P><P>Hidayah said that from
January to June this year, 19 Indonesian migrant workers had died in Malaysia,
17 of them women.</P><P>"It raises the question: did they really die from
an illness or from some other cause, such as abuse," she said.</P><P>Indonesian
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters Monday that "the government
is concerned about the incident" but did not say whether any formal action
would be taken.</P><P>Amnesty International said in a report earlier this year
that Indonesia was also failing to protect millions of domestic workers at home,
some as young as 12, who face long hours and potentially deadly beatings and sexual
abuse.</P><P>Malaysia depends heavily on foreign maids but they enjoy little protection
under labour laws. The maids often work long hours under tough conditions to earn
about 100 dollars a month.</P><P>- AFP</P><P><I>Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68779</I>
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