It said that in Malaysia, much of the housing was not built to accommodate foreign maids, otherwise known as “migrant domestic workers”.
“As a result, they end up either sharing a room with the family or sometimes sleeping in the hall or in the kitchen,” ILO assistant director-general and Asia-Pacific regional director Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa said in a report on housing for migrant workers.
The report, which was released today, provides a detailed overview of migrant worker accommodation standards and issues in the Asean region.
ILO added that foreign maids often had no control over the use of their allocated room, “which affected their sense of privacy and freedom of movement”.
It also noted that both Malaysia and Singapore had set “only broad guidance on accommodation and living standards for migrant domestic workers”.
As a result of this “lack of clear legal standards” the accommodation would often fall short of the criteria for adequate and decent housing.
The ILO report also found that about 86% of foreign maids in Malaysia stayed with their employers.
ILO urged governments to revise laws or policies that made living in employer-provided accommodation compulsory for foreign maids and allow them to choose to make their own living arrangements without penalty.
Although the international standard on worker housing stated that it was generally “not desirable” for employers to provide housing for their workers directly, the ILO report said exceptions could be made if the worksite was far away and the nature of the work required that the worker be available at short notice.
“This latter condition would cover many migrant domestic and care workers, for example, who are required by their employers (or national law) to be live-in workers.”
Meanwhile, the report also noted that the accommodation standards for other migrant workers in the region remained low and needed urgent attention.
“While some improvements have taken place and must be recognised, there is still a long way to go to ensure that all migrant workers enjoy the decent and adequate accommodation they have the right to,” ILO said.
ILO senior Asia-Pacific regional communication officer Steve Needham said the need for sufficient living area was illustrated by the Covid-19 pandemic, where it was impossible to maintain physical distancing and hygiene measures in the accommodation provided for migrant workers.
“In addition to the threat of Covid-19 transmission, overcrowding has also led to conflict or tensions between residents, domestic violence, and other crimes,” he said in a statement.