KUALA LUMPUR: Civil society groups warn that Malaysia might fall into Tier 3 of the United States' Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report should it again fail to address issues surrounding labour exploitation.
They said while Malaysia had relevant laws in place such as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, there was no comprehensive law to govern the management of foreign labour.
North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said activists on the ground had not seen major changes in labour migration reforms as migrants were still working in forced labour conditions, with some being trafficked.
He said despite the cases, not enough employers, agents and human traffickers were being held accountable.
"Malaysia needs a comprehensive law and policy on labour migration with a separate governance body led by the Prime Minister's Department.
"(Currently) it looks like the Human Resources Ministry and Home Ministry have too many conflicting interests in the management and protection of migrant workers," he said, adding that there was no ombudsman system to hold the different authorities accountable.
Pereira said that the battle against forced labour in Malaysia was linked with the overhaul of the recruitment and employment procedures to root out forced labour practices such as debt bondage, wage withholding, and exploitation of vulnerabilities.
He said cross-border solutions were needed and emphasised the need for memorandums of understanding to be legally binding, consistent, and transparent.
On Saturday, Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the government must address the longstanding issue involving foreign workers to safeguard the country's image from being branded as a haven for human trafficking and forced labour
Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said without a national comprehensive policy on labour migration to regulate recruitment, placement and employment of foreign workers in Malaysia, the country risked being downgraded in the US TIP report.
She said this would seriously impact trade agreements and the economic growth of Malaysia.
She called for an investigation into the root causes of labour exploitation and for those involved to be held accountable for their actions.
She urged government agencies and ministries, especially the newly appointed Human Resources minister, to put an end to ad hoc government policies and complicated documentation processes allegedly riddled with corruption which cause migrant workers to become undocumented.