Suicide, chronic diseases among main causes of Nepali deaths in Malaysia

 Suhakam notes that 2,214 migrant workers from the country had died in Malaysia from 2018 to May 2024.

Suhakam said the loss of migrant workers’ lives should not be treated as mere statistics. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

A total of 2,214 Nepali migrant workers died in Malaysia between 2018 and May 2024, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said, citing data from the Nepali embassy.

Suhakam chairman Hishamudin Yunus said suicide and chronic diseases, including heart failure, were among the leading identified causes.

“This is a serious situation and should not be treated as statistics because it involves the loss of invaluable lives,” he said at the renewal of a memorandum of understanding between Suhakam and the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRCN) today.

The MoU, which focuses on the rights of migrant workers and people residing in both countries, was renewed for three years to 2028.

Under the agreement, Suhakam and NHRCN will work together to investigate alleged human rights violations involving migrant workers, including deaths, and monitor conditions at detention centres.

The commissions will also address recruitment fees and forced labour risks, and work with the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) to improve Nepali workers’ access to social security protection.

The MoU was first signed in 2019 to strengthen cooperation in protecting migrant workers, including through information sharing and handling of complaints.

In a statement, Suhakam said there are about 400,000 Nepali workers in Malaysia.

It also said it received 46 complaints involving Nepali workers between 2021 and August this year.

“The complaints involved alleged human rights violations, including passports being withheld by employers, working 12 hours a day and 30 consecutive days without rest days, unpaid or delayed wages, excessive working hours without overtime pay, unsafe working conditions, and inadequate protection,” it said.

The renewed MoU will also see both commissions review policies and make recommendations to their respective governments to improve migrant workers’ access to justice.

NHRCN is also scheduled to meet the Malaysian prisons department and Perkeso tomorrow as part of its working visit to Malaysia and the implementation of the MoU. - FMT