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?
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul
Jalil said the Cabinet committee on Gender Equality, chaired by the Prime Minister, had responded positively to the proposal.
<p>“The Prime Minister has been very forthcoming and we hope to make the
announcement within a month,” she said yesterday. </p>
<p>Currently women enjoy a 60-day maternity leave. </p>
<p>Shahrizat said the ministry had pushed for longer maternity leave because most
women were working these days and needed time to recover after their delivery.
</p>
<p>She added that more time off work would also allow for stronger bonding between
mother and child. </p>
<p>She pointed out that 47% of the workforce today comprised women and that if
their needs to work in a comfortable environment were not met, there could be
a “female retreat” in employment. </p>
<p>She also said 83% of the countries in the world gave working women 12 weeks
of maternity leave or more. </p>
<p>As for increasing the seven-day paternity leave, Shahrizat said the ministry
would push for this later. </p>
<p>She also announced the setting-up of three committees – one chaired by
the Attorney-General, another by the Home Ministry, and the other by the Human
Resources Ministry – to look into laws and provisions that might be gender-discriminatory.
</p>
<p>These include sections on immigration law and differences in retirement age
between men and women. </p>
<p>She said the government sector had standardised 56 as the retirement age for
both male and female workers, but that the private sector was slow to follow
suit.
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