She said countries that labelled working parolees as forced labour were against the spirit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which call for inclusivity and an end to discrimination of vulnerable groups.

Zuraida said the government allowed parole for only selected prison inmates who had been convicted of minor crimes and were offered jobs that best suited them.

“These people are considered marginalised. The human resources ministry also selected them to join the workforce.

“They should not be defined as forced labour,” she said at a National Action Plan on Forced Labour forum in Seberang Jaya, Penang, today.

The parole system allows certain inmates to be released from prison and continue serving their sentence on the promise of good behaviour. There have been some 41,000 parolees as of last year, a prisons official was reported as saying.

Separately, Zuraida said Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) remained unable to export its palm oil and related products to the US over forced labour issues.

She said her remarks yesterday that SDP was allowed to export to the US again were inaccurate and that it involved another company which she did not name.

“It is not SDP. The ban is still on (for them) as they (the US) are still not satisfied,” she said.