"UN agencies concerned over Bangladeshi workers stranded in Malaysia", 5 May 2024

Three international organisations have expressed concerns over the plight of Bangladeshis duped into coming to Malaysia for non-existent jobs.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) say they are ready to support meeting the immediate needs of those stranded.

This includes enhancing their access to justice and basic services, as well as longer-term efforts to find rights-based and sustainable solutions to the situation, they said in a joint statement, reported by FMT.

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Since the second quarter of 2023, there have been an increasing number of reports of workers who were not provided jobs upon arrival in the country, the agencies said.

“Instead, there have been reports of employers and related recruitment agents placing them in often very crowded hostels, apartments, or even warehouses, with unsanitary facilities, minimal access to food, limited communications with the outside world, and limited healthcare (or lack thereof), while confiscating their passports and other documentation,” the statement added.

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