UN: Bangladeshi workers exploited and in bondage in Malaysia

UN experts are urging Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur to dismantle fraudulent recruitment networks and protect migrants from abuse. Growing indebtedness is a major factor. Migrants from Bangladesh are the largest group of foreign workers, with more than 800,000 active work permit holders as of June this year, or 37 per cent of the total foreign workforce.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – A group of United Nations experts has voiced renewed concern over what they describe as the continued exploitation and deepening debt bondage of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia.

In a statement released to local media, the experts, who report to the UN Human Rights Council, said they were “deeply troubled” by persistent allegations of fraudulent recruitment practices and systematic labour exploitation that remain widespread across the country. These practices, they warned, continue to cause significant human rights harm to workers and their families.

Information received by the UN indicates that thousands of migrants were recruited through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Ltd, with many allegedly paying recruitment fees more than five times above the official limit. By the time they arrive in Malaysia, many are already burdened with heavy debt.

Once in the country, the workers reportedly encounter a range of abuses, including the confiscation of passports, the promise of jobs that do not exist, discrepancies between their contracts and actual working conditions, unauthorised sharing of personal data, and limited access to government support. 

Some migrants were said to have been asked for additional payments, while others were reassigned to different jobs without their consent. There were also reports of workers being pressured to sign false declarations claiming they had paid only the official recruitment fees before leaving Bangladesh.

The experts expressed concern that a small circle of recruitment agencies continues to dominate the labour pipeline between the two countries, operating as what they described as a closed syndicate enabled by corruption, a lack of transparency, and systemic exploitation.

They urged both governments to take stronger action. Bangladesh, they said, should tighten oversight of recruitment agencies, prohibit all worker-paid recruitment fees, provide pre-departure training on workers’ rights, and establish effective channels for migrants to report abuses and seek remedies. 

Malaysia, meanwhile, should strengthen protections against labour exploitation and arbitrary detention, investigate reported violations, provide redress to affected workers, and dismantle exploitative networks that profit from the recruitment system.

“We urge both governments to intensify their efforts to ensure that migrant workers are not criminalised or re-victimised, and that fraudulent recruitment agencies and other responsible actors are held accountable,” the statement said.

Bangladeshi nationals constitute the largest group of foreign workers in Malaysia, holding more than 800,000 active work permits as of June, or 37 per cent of the total foreign labour force. Despite their significant presence in key sectors of the Malaysian economy, many continue to grapple with debt, deception, and exploitative working conditions – issues that have prompted protests and calls for reform.

• bangladesh
• malaysia
• migrant workers
• recruitment agencies
• un human rights council
• exploitation
• bondage