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 U.S. last month ranked Muslim states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Malaysia,
Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Qatar — as among the worst human trade
offenders, and said they may face sanctions.
<p>"We are not bothered about…the sanctions," Foreign Minister Syed
Hamid Albar said. "I don’t think we need to respond to that sort of pressure."</p>
<p>"The U.S. really needs to be friendly to Muslim countries," he told
retired Malaysian diplomats. "This is not a good development as they have
just appointed a special envoy to OIC." Malaysia heads the 57-nation Organisation
of Islamic Conference.</p>
<p>U.S. President George W. Bush said last week in a speech to mark the 50th anniversary
of the Islamic Centre in Washington that the appointment would demonstrate to
Muslim communities "our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship."</p>
<p>In its annual report on human trafficking published last month, the U.S. State
Department named 16 countries subjected to possible sanctions, including the
loss of U.S. aid and U.S. support for World Bank and International Monetary
Fund loans.</p>
<p>Syed Hamid said Malaysia would introduce a new law soon to prevent human trafficking.</p>
<p>"In Malaysia’s case, we do not need to be apologetic," he said. "We
have moved to the right direction. The law against human trafficking is going
to be passed by parliament in this current session."</p>
<p>Still, Indonesia and other countries that supply most of the workers say Malaysia
has not done enough.</p>
<p>In May, Kuala Lumpur ruled out laws to enforce better working conditions for
foreign maids.</p>
<p>Asked if laws were needed to specify working conditions for the maids, Home
Minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said: "We cannot have maids having a holiday,
weekends off. It’s up to the employers to give time to the maids to rest."</p>
<p>With Malaysians reluctant to take up menial jobs, the country is one of Asia’s
largest importers of foreign labour, which makes up a quarter of a workforce
of about 10.5 million, particularly on plantations, in construction and as maids.</p>
<p>Malaysians got a harrowing glimpse into the treatment of some domestic workers
when newspapers reported the death in April of an Indian migrant worker after
eight months of being beaten, chained up and starved by his employers in a sauce
business.</p>
<p>India and Malaysia are hammering out a draft agreement to ensure better protection
for Indian workers in Malaysia.</p>
<p>Although the southeast Asian nation does not employ maids from India, many
Indian workers who take up jobs in construction and manufacturing in Malaysia
say employers change their contract terms after they have begun their jobs.</p>
<p>Human rights group have long urged Malaysia to plug loopholes in labour and
immigration laws that expose migrant workers to the risk of abuse and exploitation
by employers and recruiters.</p>
<p>Indonesian maids in Malaysia often work a gruelling 16 to 18 hours a day, seven
days a week, and earn less than 25 U.S. cents an hour, U.S. group Human Rights
Watch has said.</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Clarence Fernandez)</p>
<p>Reuters 2007</p>
<p><i>Source: http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnKLR232453.html</i>
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