The International Labour Organization says denial of labour and social protection rights to migrant domestic workers is leading to exploitation and forced labour in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 15, 2023.
Titled “Skilled to care; forced to work? Recognizing the skills profiles of migrant domestic workers in Asean amid forced labour and exploitation”, the report indicates that 29% of surveyed migrant domestic workers in Malaysia were under ILO’s statistical definition of forced labour, as were 7% of surveyed workers in Singapore and 4% in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Anna Engblom, Chief Technical Adviser of ILO’s Triangle in Asean programme, which produced the study, said this could no longer be accepted. Engblom said domestic workers needed to be recognised as skilled employees in terms of pay and employment conditions.