We are alarmed to learn details of the exploitation of around 100 Bangladeshi workers who migrated to Malaysia in pursuit of a better life. They were promised jobs with a basic salary of 1,500 Malaysian ringgit (Tk 37,500) with Petrazehra Berhad, a Johor Bahru-based company. However, once they reached their destination, having taken out huge loans or sold off properties at home, they found themselves thrust into a nightmarish existence devoid of dignity and hope.

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Migrating to a life of unemployment

According to a report by this daily, around 300 workers were hired by Petrazehra Berhad in October last year, but none of them were given jobs or granted work permits. With their passports confiscated, the company placed—and essentially trapped—them in a seedy hostel in the Sepang district of Selangor. Crammed into overcrowded rooms, with up to 25 men sharing a single space, these workers are now forced to endure appalling living conditions, deprived of even the most basic necessities. Workers say they received around Tk 5,000 for food over the past few months, with no money left for healthcare or other necessities to survive, much less send back home to pay off their debts.

While 200 workers later managed to find employment elsewhere, or an alternative place to stay, at least a hundred still remain trapped in the rundown hostel. They cannot leave it for fear of arrests or forced deportation. Many of them have fallen sick but cannot seek medical treatment as they do not have passports or work permits. The situation is so dire that one of them, Shafiqul Islam, suffered a stroke and died on February 29.

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Human traffickers must be stopped

This is not the first time that we have heard such gory details of workers' sufferings in Malaysia. As per the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), over 400,000 Bangladeshis have gone to Malaysia since late 2022 when the Southeast Asian country reopened the labour market for Bangladesh after four years. Researchers estimate that out of approximately 800,000 Bangladeshis in Malaysia, 100,000-200,000 workers remain jobless, unpaid and in debt. Yet, we have not seen any decisive action from Bangladeshi or Malaysian authorities to identify errant employers and rehabilitate the abandoned migrant workers.

Now that the abuse by Petrazehra Berhad has been documented, the Bangladesh government must urge Malaysian authorities to take swift action against the company. Workers must be paid what they were initially promised in their contracts and compensated for the mental and physical abuse they were subjected to all these months. The imminent closure of the Malaysian market should not get in the way of justice for exploited workers. The recruiting agency that had vouched for Petrazehra Berhad must also be held accountable, so that no other Bangladeshi has to face such horrific treatment in the hands of their employers anywhere in the world.