Webinar, 8 October 2020

Preventing forced labour in Malaysia through responsible business practices

This online event will provide practical tips on how Malaysia employers can mitigate risks of forced labour in recruitment and employment practices.

The ILO and Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) have partnered to co-organize the webinar on “Preventing forced labour in Malaysia through responsible business practices” on 8 October 2020 from 14:30-16:30 (GMT+8).

Participants interested in joining the event can register here

Background

Forced labour is a major challenge in many countries in the world, including in Malaysia. Workers become vulnerable to forced labour due to various factors including: lack of awareness about forced labour among workers and employers; imbalance of power between employer and migrant worker, such as through work permit policies that tie workers to their employers; labour laws as they apply to certain categories of workers such as domestic work and undocumented migrant workers; non-protection of potential victims of forced labour that are outside the ambit of trafficking; abusive recruitment practices such as charging of large recruitment fees, passport retention, and contract substitution or contract not in the language that the migrant worker can understand; and limited support for migrant workers for accessing legal remedies, particularly if the worker is undocumented.

The webinar will provide a platform to share knowledge on:

Speakers

Welcome message and objectives of the webinar: Dato Mah Weng Kwai, SUHAKAM Commissioner

Tips from MEF-ILO guide on employers’ responsibility on preventing and addressing forced labour in Malaysia: Jodelen Mitra, ILO Bridge Project Technical Officer

Panel discussion – Moderator: Dato Mah Weng Kwai, Suhakam Commissioner

Speakers:

• Ministry of Human Resources – Mr Asri Ab Rahman, Department of Labour Deputy Director General
• Malaysian Employers Federation - Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director
• ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour - Laura Greene, Programme Technical Officer
• Responsible Business Alliance – Khai Yau Chua, Senior Program Manager
• Malaysian Bar Council - Dato Sri M. Ramachelvam, Chairperson of the Migrants, Refugees & Immigration Affairs Committee

Q&A

Moderator: Dato Mah Weng Kwai, SUHAKAM Commissioner Closing remarks: Boonpala Panudda, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific

This webinar is co-organized by ILO Bridge Project “From Protocol to Practice and Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour”, the ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour (ILO-GBFNL), and SUHAKAM.

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-27592-15-75-K—1. 100 percentage of the total costs of the global Bridge Project is financed with Federal funds, for a total of US$17,395,138. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.