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?
Elly Fazaniza
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA (Dec 23, 2013): The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maids (Papa) said the government’s endorsement to allow foreign maids from Indonesia into the country did not mean that the latter was out to monopolise the maids’ market.
It’s president Jeffrey Foo told theSun today that the government’s agreement with Indonesia should not be seen as providing Papa with the market.
“Our agencies are not out just to gain profit. Therefore, I urge employers to continue using us instead of bringing in maids directly from a foreign country.
“The method of employing Indonesian maids through agencies is not only a matter of going through the difficult bureaucracies or matters related to it. It’s about safeguarding the maids’ well-being and also looking into their welfare and protection,” he said.
Papa currently has 200 agencies under it.
“With the government’s agreement…(this means that current and future) employers cannot hire the maids directly. I believe if they continue to do so, they could be held under the Human Trafficking Act,” he said.
He was responding the Malaysian and Indonesian government’s success in an understanding on the domestic maids issue last Thursday.
The agreement is an extension of the MoU on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian maids, as agreed by the two countries in Bali in 2011.
The Bali MoU saw Indonesia agreeing to withdraw its moratorium on the sending of maids to Malaysia.
Foo also suggested that an MoU be signed between Papa and the Indonesian Manpower Suppliers Association (Apjati).
Source: The Sun
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