UN Labor Agency Reports 29 Percent of Domestic Workers in Malaysia Face Forced Labor

A view of the Kuala Lumpur city skyline in Malaysia on Feb. 7, 2018. (Lai Seng Sin/Reuters)

About 29 percent of migrant domestic workers in Malaysia face forced labor conditions, such as restrictions on the freedom of movement, according to a survey released by the United Nations labor agency.

The report, released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on June 15, revealed that 7 percent of domestic workers in Singapore and 4 percent in Thailand are facing forced labor conditions.

The ILO interviewed some 1,201 migrant domestic workers across the three countries between July and September 2022 and found that none of the respondents from the study earned the minimum wage.

“In Malaysia, the survey results indicate high levels of isolation and restriction on migrant domestic workers’ freedoms, including freedom of movement and freedom to change employer,” the report reads.

“These are likely the result of the combined impact of a lack of labor protections in law, lack of enforcement of existing laws, lack of post-arrival orientation, and challenges to workers being able to change employers where work permits are tied to employers,” it adds.

It reveals that employers may resort to locking in their domestic workers or restricting their mobility to prevent them from leaving. Malaysia has an estimated population of 300,000 migrant domestic workers.

In addition, the ILO said that there was evidence of “substantial numbers of regular, full-time, live-in domestic workers in situations of forced labor and other forms of exploitation” in Malaysia.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources for comments.

Domestic Workers in Poor Conditions

According to the study, about 90 percent of migrant domestic workers worked overtime without pay in Singapore, whereas in Thailand, excessive overtime, underpayment, and document retention persist.

The ILO urged Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand to ratify U.N. conventions on domestic workers and forced labor, to recognize the skilled nature of domestic work, and ensure migration pathways that did not tie the workers to their employers.

“Domestic work is one of the most important tasks in our society, and yet provided with the least protection. This can no longer be accepted,” said Anna Engblom, chief technical adviser at the ILO program which conducted the study.

“By allowing them the opportunities to change employers or negotiate better working conditions, as other skilled migrants can, they would be far less likely to suffer exploitation,” Engblom added.

Malaysia has faced criticism in recent years following multiple incidents of Indonesian domestic workers being abused in Malaysian households, while several of its companies have been accused of exploiting migrant laborers.

Indonesians make up about 80 percent of domestic workers in Malaysia, according to the ILO. Last year, Malaysia and Indonesia signed an agreement to improve protections for domestic workers.

Reuters contributed to this report.