EXPRESSING its concern over the longstanding forced labour issue in Malaysia, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) is calling for the Government to launch the country’s first-ever National Action Plan on Forced Labour (NAPFL) 2021-2025 to address and eradicate compulsory labour.
This comes after the issuance of numerous Withhold Release Orders (WROs) by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBD) to various Malaysian companies over alleged forced labour practices.
“Due to this, there is an urgent need for Malaysia to immediately put in place effective measures to circumvent and remedy forced labour practices,” SUHAKAM said in a statement issued earlier today.
It is hoped that NAPFL would be able to address more stringent requirements for companies to implement effective due diligence procedures and grievance mechanisms, particularly in their employment practices.
Notwithstanding the legal provisions to be enforced by the Government, SUHAKAM stressed that private companies have a responsibility to comply with national labour laws and international labour standards to ensure human rights compliance throughout their entire supply chain framework and must immediately take the lead in demonstrating that they can stand up to comply with the international human rights and labour standards.
“These should address the various sectors including the medical supplies industry, agricultural (including plantations), construction and manufacturing sectors,” it added.
Therefore, SUHAKAM emphasizes on the need for the Government to ensure transparency by making public the full report of the Special Independent Committee on Foreign Worker Management as well as expedite the implementation of the committee’s recommendations, which considered issues of unethical, unhealthy and unfair practices in foreign worker recruitment.
“For long term measures to be successful, the Government is encouraged to have more meaningful consultations with the relevant stakeholders including non-governmental organisations (NGOs),” it suggested.
SUHAKAM further calls on the Government to expedite the development of Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR) which will establish responsibility on the part of business entities to respect human rights that not only deals with labour issues but also impresses on the accountability of business practices to people and planet.
The NAPBHR should be strictly guided by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. – Feb 19, 2022
