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Article

22 Aug 2017

Author:
The Straits Times (Singapore)

Malaysia: Young Bangladeshis trafficked through private colleges & tricked into forced labour

"Young Bangladeshis Tricked into Forced Labour in Malaysia," 15 Aug 2017

Victims pay big sums to go to private colleges but end up working in inhumane conditions. They are sold a dream of a ticket to study and work in a foreign country. But after spending all their family savings, thousands of young men from Bangladesh are caught in the harsh reality of being trapped in exploitation and extortion in Malaysia. By the time they realise it, they have been trafficked through obscure private colleges and unscrupulous "agents" in the Klang Valley area that surrounds Kuala Lumpur... The journalists uncovered the trafficking rings through a series of undercover investigations. They met workers' agents while posing as factory managers looking for cheap labour, infiltrated the colleges, and followed the trail to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh... One agent said he...has trafficked over 8,000 Bangladeshi students to Malaysia. "Bangladeshi students are easy and quick money," said the agent, who is Nepali. "Bring in 200 or 300 of them, then distribute them (among the colleges), then you will make your money."... A [2013-]report by The Star [already] revealed a large number of foreign students arriving through dubious colleges... [In response] [t]he Ministry of Higher Education revoked the international student licence of four such institutions in 2015. Since then, a further 26 institutions have had their licences revoked or not renewed...