Miscellaneous
Nepali migrants facing abuse, exploitation in Malaysia'
Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia are suffering from worst kind of human rights violation owing to the institutional failure of both labour receiving and sending governments to ensure...Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who is vice chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) party, said on Thursday that Nepali migrants are paying more than double in recruitment fees in Nepal only to suffer abuses and exploitations from their employers when they reach their work destinations.
"Those languishing in prisons, detention centre and deportation camps are enduring the worst form of economic, physical and psychological abuse and exploitations," said Shrestha, who visited Malaysia last month to study the condition of Nepali migrant workers there.
"There was a person in a detention centre in Bukit Jalil whose leg was badly injured but he hadn’t received any treatment.”
He added that the detained workers are denied communication with their families, proper food, accommodation and medical facilities.
A former deputy prime minister and foreing minister, Shrestha was critical of the incumbent government for not doing anything despite knowing what Nepalis in Malaysia are going through.
"The problems start from Nepal as outbound workers are handed fake contract papers to acquire work permit in Nepal. Most workers do not find the work, wage and benefits they were promised in Nepal," he said.
According to Shrestha, the entry of Malaysian agents like VLN Nepal, which provides visa processing service, and Teleport, a firm that conducts security guard training, is only adding unnecessary economic burden upon the workers.
Malaysia has increased the visa processing charge to Rs 3,900 from Rs 700 following the entry of VLN Nepal. Teleport charge RM 650 (Rs 18,500) for security guard training.
Charging extra fees under various pretexts and the provision of deducting levy from the workers' salary have done a great injustice to Nepali migrant workers, Shrestha said. “The government should do whatever it costs to safeguard the human rights and ensure dignified life to the workers. We should stop sending Nepalis to Malaysia if the government there doesn’t address our concern.”
Shrestha said that that Nepal and Malaysia should immediately sign Memorandum of Understanding to safeguard the workers' rights, monitor the recruitment process to save them from economic exploitation, punish fraudulent recruiting agencies and agents, enforce zero-cost migration scheme, increase the number of embassy staffers, and amend the labour laws to address the existing loopholes in the system.