Drawn by promises of jobs in Malaysia, thousands of men and women from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and elsewhere in the region pay substantial sums to recruitment agents. Once they arrive, they find that much of what their agents told them about their new jobs is untrue. Malaysia’s economy depends on the labour of migrant workers yet the government effectively criminalizes them. Malaysia can and should do more, beginning with a reform of its labour laws, prompt investigation of workplace and police abuses, and effective use of its Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
