PUTRAJAYA – Business and human rights must go in tandem as it would otherwise hurt the potential inflow of foreign investments, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Nonetheless, he said it was good that Malaysia had an initiative to address any prevalent human rights issues.
“The fact that Malaysia is aware that there are (human rights) issues – and wants to tackle them – is good for them,” he told a press conference at the UN offices in Menara PjH here today.
“Business and human rights issues were part of our discussions because we know that if business practices are not human rights-oriented, yes, it will harm (a nation’s foreign investments) in the future.”
Turk was responding to a question about whether the prevalence of migrant worker exploitation in Malaysia could hurt its push for foreign investment.
He paid a visit to Malaysia from June 2 to 4, and met various high-ranking officials to discuss human rights issues in the country.
Instances of migrant workers being duped when coming to Malaysia have been in the headlines of late, such as a construction firm abandoning 93 of its Bangladeshi workers brought into the country in November 2023.
A more prominent case was in Pengerang, Johor, where 171 migrant workers from Bangladesh failed to obtain jobs, three months after entering the country.
According to the International Labour Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations, about 29% of migrant domestic workers reported conditions described as forced labour.
This includes high isolation levels and movement restrictions. – June 4, 2024