PETALING JAYA: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has urged the government to set up a high-level task force to investigate potential wrongdoing in the case of 171 migrant workers allegedly duped by recruitment agents.
It said a high-level task force is needed to facilitate a thorough and transparent investigation, and identify shortcomings and actions to be recommended against those involved in “this exploitative human trafficking process”.
In a statement, Suhakam also slammed the government’s migrant worker recruitment system as “legalised modern slavery and human trafficking”, and urged it to implement the recommendations given in the report by the Independent Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers.
The now-declassified report had suggested that formulating policies on migrant worker management should be solely the human resources ministry’s job, and not be separated between it and the home ministry.
The report also said the human resources ministry should be solely responsible for oversight and enforcement of the industry’s compliance with Malaysian employment laws and consistency with international norms and practices.
Suhakam said migrant worker monitoring systems should be strengthened to safeguard working conditions, and that cooperation with their countries of origin is needed to create safe migration routes.
On Dec 25, human resources minister Steven Sim said his ministry would help the migrant workers allegedly duped by their agents, based “on humanitarian grounds”.
In a viral video, the Bangladeshi workers were spotted marching towards the Bayu Damai police station in Pengerang, Johor, to lodge a report against the agents for not providing them the promised jobs.
They were subsequently arrested by police. - FMT
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