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?
Jakarta (AsiaNews/HRW) – Malaysia plans
to adopt a law that bars migrant workers from leaving their place of work or neighbourhood,
Human Rights Watch reports. The human rights organisation has slammed the piece
of legislation and hopes Indonesia, the country of origin of most migrants, will
intervene to stop it.
<P>Approximately 2.5 million migrants work in Malaysia
(at least 700,000 with no valid documents), the majority in plantations, construction
and domestic service.</P><P>The new law that Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri
Radzi Sheikh Ahmad wants to introduce in March would prevent foreign migrant workers
from leaving their place of work. Employers would be responsible for enforcing
the law and liable for any breach. This would put workers at risk for abuses and
exploitation of various kinds. But for the government it is justified as a way
to fight crime.</P><P>Deputy Home Affairs Minister Tan Chai Ho said that Malaysia’s
rising crime rate can be partly blamed on the entry of foreigners with criminal
backgrounds and foreigners with criminal records will be barred from working in
the country.</P><P>In Malaysia there are approximately 300,000, mostly Indonesian,
migrant domestic workers who work gruelling 16 to 18 hour days, seven days a week,
and earn less than 25 US cents per hour.</P><P>These workers are excluded from
key protections in Malaysia’s main labour laws and thousands of them have
filed complaints for sexual and psychological abuse.</P><P>In Indonesia, labour
agents often subject prospective workers to extortion, discriminatory hiring processes,
and months-long confinement in overcrowded training centres.</P><P> “It’s
shocking that Malaysia is even considering a proposal that would give employers
freedom to lock up workers,” said Nisha Varia, senior researcher on women’s
rights in Asia for Human Rights Watch.</P><P>Indonesia and Malaysia signed a Memorandum
of Understanding in May 2006 to regulate migration of domestic workers. Measures
included the introduction of a standard contract and protections against cutting
workers’ salaries to repay fees borne by the employer. However, it allows
employers to keep workers’ passports, prohibits workers from marrying, and
fails to introduce clear standards on a minimum wage, a weekly day off, or monitoring
mechanisms for labour agencies. </P><P>“Migration benefits both countries
tremendously—by providing important services to Malaysia and needed income
to Indonesian workers,” said Varia. “But, despite a long history of
large migration flows, Malaysia and Indonesia have lagged behind other countries
in ensuring basic protections for migrant workers.”</P><P><I>http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8573&size=A</I>
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