Bangladeshi workers being trafficked to Malaysia won’t affect US’s TIP report

Incidents of Bangladeshi workers being duped into travelling to Malaysia for non-existent jobs will not impact the upcoming Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report of the US State Department, Malaysian Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has said.

Sim brushed off such concerns, saying the foreigners had not been trafficked into Malaysia,

"It is an abuse of the quota by employers," he told reporters in Putrajaya, referring to quota applications to hire migrant workers, especially the Bangladeshi workers, reports Free Malaysia Today, a Malaysian news portal.

Migrant rights activists and researchers say between 100,000-200,000 Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia remained jobless, unpaid or underpaid as excessive workers were hired by Malaysian employers since late 2022.

Since then, some 500,000 Bangladeshis were recruited, making the total number to about 800,000. They paid on an average Tk 500,000, though the government-fixed rate is only Tk 80,000.

"We have taken action, along with the home minister, since December, including against the employers," Steven Sim said.

Sim was speaking to reporters after attending a joint committee meeting between the home ministry and his ministry on the management of foreign workers.

The TIP Report, published by the US Department of State, is an annual assessment that evaluates global trafficking trends, focusing on government efforts in prosecution, protection and prevention.

Malaysia is on Tier 2 (watch list) of the ranking, placing it among countries that do not fully comply with US minimum standards but are making significant efforts to do so.

The plight of Bangladeshi workers, who now account for the lion's share of migrant labour in Malaysia, has taken centre stage recently.

Early this month, three international organisations expressed concern over allegations that some of these workers were duped into coming to Malaysia on promises of non-existent jobs.

Sim said his ministry has been working "very hard" to ensure there is no abuse of policies related to hiring migrant workers.