He said the addition of Section 90B related to forced labour, provides penalties against employers who commit forced labour offences.

He said the role of the labour department would be strengthened through the increased capacity of labour inspectors to ensure that more prosecutions were initiated against employers who committed such offences.

Sivakumar’s statement came in the wake of Malaysia’s improved ranking on the US human trafficking watchlist to Tier 2 after two consecutive years on Tier 3.

The minister said cooperation with the US would be strengthened through the establishment of a joint working group while also ensuring that local products would not be subjected to restrictions due to forced labour issues.

He said the government was also cooperating with representatives of trade unions, employers’ federations and industries to implement the national action plan on forced labour.