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| An Indonesian Journalist take the picture a poster depicting late Muntik Binti Bani, 39, a migrant worker who was allegedly beaten to death by her employers, during an anti Malaysia protests at Malaysian embassy in Jakarta on Oct. 28, 2009. Numerous complaints of abuse has caused Indonesia to stop sending maids to Malaysia, a step followed on Monday by Cambodia. (JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya) |
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Phnom Penh.
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.
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.
AFP
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