The response was sent on Tuesday to Beatriz Balbin, chief of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) special procedures branch, by Malaysia’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Nadzirah Osman.
“We assure you that Malaysia remains committed to protecting the rights and well-being of migrant workers,” Nadzirah said.
She added that the response included a supplementary document that outlined the measures taken by the government to combat exploitation and human trafficking.
It was reported on Tuesday that the government had not yet responded to a letter from the UN regarding allegations of fraudulent recruitment of Bangladeshi migrant workers by a criminal network.
In the letter, four UN experts said they were concerned about the deceptive practice of fake companies recruiting workers from Bangladesh, purportedly for employment in Malaysia.
They highlighted issues such as debt bondage, ill-treatment, and exploitation of migrant workers, all of which aligned with forced labour indicators established by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In her response, Nadzirah cited the landmark case of 733 Bangladeshi migrant workers who were awarded more than RM1 million in unpaid wages after being duped, as evidence of the government’s ongoing efforts to uphold migrant workers’ rights.
In the case cited, as of May 17, some 692 of the 733 affected workers had been placed with new employers through the Johor labour department.
Nadzirah also mentioned other measures taken by the government, including regular business inspections, blacklisting employers based on labour department recommendations, regulating recruitment agencies, and addressing complaints made at labour department offices or through the Working for Workers (WFW) mobile application.
She added that the labour department has also undertaken to rescue and relocate foreign workers who have been exploited by not being given proper jobs, salaries, or adequate accommodation by their employers.
“In 2023, the labour department relocated 1,664 foreign workers to new employers. As of April this year, 910 foreign workers have been relocated to new employers,” Nadzirah said.
She also stressed that the government is committed to addressing issues highlighted by the UN comprehensively.