Cambodia has imposed a temporary
ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia following numerous complaints of
abuse, the government said Monday, in a move hailed by rights groups.
An order was signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen following
"some negative information" about the working environment of
Cambodian maids in Malaysia, Oum Mean, secretary of state at the ministry of
labour, told AFP.
"The government has issued a circular... to temporarily
suspend sending maids to Malaysia," he said, without specifying how long
the ban would last.
The surprise move comes after campaigns by activists in
recent months highlighted dozens of cases of sexual abuse, overwork and
exploitation among an estimated 50,000 Cambodian women employed as domestic
helpers in the country.
Rights group Tenaganita, which has rescued more than 60
Cambodian maids so far this year, said it was "elated" by the ban.
"We call on all countries in the region to take heed
that migrants are not for sale and there can be no compromise on the protection
of their rights," the Malaysia-based group said in a statement.
The move was also welcomed by Human Rights Watch, which
recently sounded the alarm about Cambodian training centres for prospective
maids, an industry they say is plagued by debt bondage, forced confinement and
use of underage workers.
"Hun Sen is finally demonstrating concern about the
plight of Cambodian migrant domestic workers, but a ban is only a temporary
measure," said Jyotsna Poudyal, the group's women's rights research fellow.
"The government should introduce major reforms, in
consultation with civil society, to improve regulation and monitoring of labour
recruitment in Cambodia so that women can migrate voluntarily and safely,"
she added.
Oum Mean said the order was signed by Hun Sen on October 15
and the government had informed recruitment agencies and state institutions
about the suspension.
But he did not specify which conditions Malaysia would have
to meet to get the ban overturned.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman was quoted by The Star
daily newspaper on Monday as saying that the country would apologise to
Cambodia should the abuse allegations be proven.
He reportedly said he was ready to fly to Phnom Penh to meet
his Cambodian counterpart "not to ask them to reverse their decision but
to talk about it".
Malaysian government officials could not immediately be
reached for further details.
Reports of abuse in Malaysia have frequently surfaced in
recent years and led Indonesia to stop sending domestic helpers to the country
for two years in 2009, prompting a rise in demand for Cambodian workers.
Source : AFP
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