Exploited and trapped, man dies in Malaysia

My husband never mentioned any health issues while in Bangladesh. His passing must have been a result of the stress from being unemployed for the last five months there.

— Hosne Ara Wife of Shofiqul

A journey to Malaysia, a dream of a better life. Driven by the hope of securing a job with a decent payday, Md Shofiqul Islam, 33, of Pabna,  went to Malaysia five months ago. Little did he know that this aspiration would spiral into despair and eventual demise.

Entrusting his future to Petrazehra Berhad, a company in the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru, Shofiqul, like 280 others, invested approximately Tk 5 lakh as recruitment fees for employment prospects abroad. However, upon arrival in Malaysia, their dreams were shattered as they fell victim to deceit, left stranded and vulnerable.

Abdul Aziz Ismail, a member of a Malaysian Anti-Human Trafficking Council, said, "Primarily placed in Johor Bahru upon arrival, the workers were later relocated by the company to a shophouse in Sepang where they were forced to endure poor living conditions."

Even their passports were seized by the company, Aziz also said. Some were beaten up when they demanded their passports to be returned, he added.

For the past five months, Shofiqul remained unemployed and endured poor living conditions. He tried to return home, and managed a travel permit from the Bangladesh High Commission to that end.

However, as he went to Malaysia making big loans, the prospect of returning empty-handed was too much of a psychological burden for him to handle.

On March 1, he succumbed to a fatal cardiac arrest in a workers' hostel at Sepang in Selangor, Malaysia.

Aziz attempted to seek legal assistance from the country's labour department for Shofiqul and 13 others, only to be informed that no action could be taken. Despite sending emails to the Malaysian Ministers of Human Resources and Home Affairs in January regarding the issue, he received no response.

Hosne Ara, Shofiqul's wife, said, "The company who took him to Malaysia told us that he could earn Tk 80,000-90,000 per month. That is why we took a loan of Tk 5 lakh with high interest to send him to Malaysia. However, they did not provide him with any job for the last five months."

She mentioned that they had to send approximately Tk 20,000 to Malaysia for him every month for food expenses since the company didn't even provide him with meals.

"My husband never mentioned any health issues while in Bangladesh. His passing must have been a result of the stress from being unemployed for the last five months there. He couldn't bear the possibility of coming back home empty-handed," she said.

"My father-in-law is bedridden due to old-age complications. My brother-in-law is a day-labourer. Now there is no hope left for us. How will I run my family, and raise my two children?" Hosne Ara asked.

Shofiqul's sister Bristy Khatun, who is also a former expatriate worker in Saudi Arabia, said, "After waiting for four long months, he was supposed to be provided with a job on February 12. However, he was not employed even as the date passed by. He got increasingly restless as each day passed by."

This newspaper could not reach representatives of Petrazehra Berhad for comments.