Post Report

The National Human Rights Commission in Nepal and Malaysia have agreed to extend the cooperation between the two rights bodies by a year.

The Commission has said that an agreement has been signed with its Malaysian counterpart to extend the collaboration by one year starting from December 17, 2020.

Issuing a press statement on Friday, which coincides with the International Migrants Day, the commission said that both parties agreed to prioritise the registration and sharing of complaints and monitoring of human rights violations of migrant workers from both nations.

As per the agreement, Nepali workers in Malaysia can file a complaint at the National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia if the worker does not receive the facilities and perks as mentioned in the contract.

Malaysia continues to be one of the most preferred job destinations for Nepali workers. However, the southeast Asian country remains the deadliest destination for Nepali migrants because of unsafe living and working conditions.

Likewise, Nepali workers continue to pay hefty amounts for Malaysian jobs which are supposed to be free under the new labour agreement between Nepal and Malaysia.

The commission has also urged the federal and local governments to record the number of Nepali migrant workers who returned after losing their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“The commission urges the government to resolve the issues of migrant workers who returned from labour destinations due to Covid-19 and were laid off without pay, refused services including the situation of female domestic help,” reads the statement.

Likewise, the commission has also urged the government to ratify the United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990 and the International Labour Organisation’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

Published on: 18 December 2020 | The Kathmandu Post