In a joint letter to the Government of Malaysia, SAI and partner organizations—as representatives of business organizations, civil society organizations, and trade unions—express concern about the situation of migrant workers in Malaysia and offer our support in creating an environment conducive to both business and human rights.
Recent reports allege severe human rights violations in Malaysian rubber glove and condom factories exporting to Europe, the USA, Australia, Japan and across the world. We are concerned that these allegations, particularly of violations against migrant workers, may constitute forced labour or create conditions that pose a high risk of modern slavery.
In this statement, the signing organizations support the Malaysian government’s recent decision to conduct a full investigation and inquiry into the situation of workers, particularly in the rubber glove sector, we welcome the appointment of an independent committee to study policies related to the overall management of migrant workers, and we endorse the efforts of Mr. Santiago MP and the independent committee on management of migrant workers to conduct investigation and review policies. We also make several recommendations for conducting these investigations in good faith and with the appropriate focus.