THE Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) is deeply concerned with the recent report of the detention of 171 Bangladesh workers who have been exploited and trafficked into Malaysia with the false promise of jobs, despite them having to pay huge recruitment fees.
Prior to their arrest, it was reported that they were marching to the Bayu Damai police station in Johor, to lodge reports that they were cheated by agents promising jobs.
Their desperation must have driven them to lodge reports despite being aware of the risk of arrest, detention and deportation.
Suhakam is of the view that these victims were in such a dire situation and that reaching out to the police must have been the last resort in an attempt to return to their country of origin, despite huge personal suffering and massive financial losses.
These people were duped and entered Malaysia on a valid immigration pass indicating the strong possibility of lax enforcement approvals and very likely corrupt practices within the relevant agencies.
Suhakam has in the past, issued numerous statements on modern slavery and human trafficking in the guise of “legalised” recruitment processes which are manifestly inhumane, abusive and exploitative to migrants.
Suhakam’s position on migrant workers issues has always been rooted in the principles of justice, including educating the public and industries on the accountability in business practices and respect for human rights.
Therefore, we implore and urge the government to seriously address this matter and execute the following actions:
i. Setting up a high-level task force to facilitate thorough and transparent investigations, identify shortcomings, and most importantly recommend actions against person(s) involved in horrible and exploitative human trafficking processes;
ii. Expediting the implementation of the recommendations listed in the “Report of the Independent Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers”, which include issues of unethical, unhealthy, and unfair practices in the recruitment of foreign workers.
The foreign workers monitoring systems should also be amplified to ensure fair and safe working conditions for migrant workers, along with cooperation with countries of origin to create safe migration routes;
iii. Working towards a complete overhaul in terms of policies, processes, accountability, and transparency in the recruitment and management of migrant workers, and proceeding to set up a dedicated ministry to manage all migrant workers’ affairs in the country.
Suhakam calls upon all relevant agencies to immediately address the longstanding issues of foreign workers management in Malaysia.
We have to be mindful that these issues involve basic and inviolable human rights, and the lack of meaningful action and continued indifference will only reflect on us as a nation and society lacking in compassion, dignity and humane values. – December 29, 2023
Suhakam was created under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999 by the Malaysian Parliament