A panel of United Nations experts has expressed dismay about
the situation of Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia, who had travelled there in
the hope of employment after engaging in the official labour migration process.
“The situation of Bangladeshi migrants who have lived in
Malaysia for several months or longer is unsustainable and undignified,” the
experts said on Friday, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights in Geneva. “Malaysia needs to take urgent measures to address the
dire humanitarian situation of migrants and protect them from exploitation,
criminalisation and other human rights abuses.”
The experts are Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on
contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Siobhán
Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and
children, Gehad Madi, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants and
Robert McCorquodale (Chair-Rapporteur), Fernanda Hopenhaym (Vice-Chair),
Pichamon Yeophantong, Damilola Olawuyi, Elzbieta Karska, Working Group on
business and human rights
They noted that many migrants find on arrival in Malaysia
that they do not have employment as promised and are often forced into
overstaying their visas. Consequently, these migrants risk arrest, detention,
ill-treatment and deportation, the experts said.
They expressed concern that large sums of money were being
generated through the fraudulent recruitment of migrant workers by criminal
networks operating between Malaysia and Bangladesh. Migrants were being
deceived, recruited by companies that are frequently fake, and obliged to pay
exorbitant recruitment fees which pushes them into debt bondage, the experts
said.
“We received reports that certain high-level officials in
both Governments are involved in this business or condoning it. This is
unacceptable and needs to end,” the experts said. “Perpetrators of these
exploitative recruitments must be held accountable,” they said, adding that so
far action taken against these private businesses and fraudulent recruitment
companies have been wholly insufficient, both in Bangladesh and Malaysia.
“Meanwhile, vulnerable migrants have been criminalised and some have faced
severe reprisals for reporting the exploitation suffered,” they said.
They urged Malaysia and Bangladesh to investigate and
address the situation. “Malaysia must govern labour migration more effectively
by adopting adequate safeguards,” the experts said, urging the country to
fulfil its obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights to protect migrant workers against human rights abuses by businesses
operating in Malaysia and ensure that these businesses respect human rights.
Malaysia must also step up efforts to identify, protect and assist victims of
exploitation, enforce existing legal protections against trafficking in persons
and uphold the country’s international human rights obligations, they said.
The experts have previously engaged with the Governments of
Malaysia and Bangladesh on these issues.