MalayMail-Oct 31
Nepali migrant workers are sometimes misled about the work and conditions available to them here, resulting in some being employed in jobs completely different from what recruiters would tout to them, according to the Migration for Development and Equality Hub (Mideq). The group said some Nepali migrants initially thought Malaysia to be a land of opportunity, freedom, and safety, only to have these views shattered upon arrival. Mideq said its Nepal-Malaysia corridor research found the Nepali workers to be living a much harsher reality, one of social isolation, physically cramped dormitories, and dehumanizing treatment. All this after a recruitment process that could take up to half a year and cost the workers around RM3,500 in fees that often land them in debt and at risk of indentured service. “Based on our findings, sometimes they come here, and then it’s a different job than what was stated in the contract,” said Sheril A. Bustaman, project manager of the South-South Migration for Development and Equality Hub funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). In 2020, statistics showed that 241,106 Nepali migrants were working in Malaysia, making up 16.4 per cent of the migrant population. Of the total, nearly three in four of the group worked in manufacturing, according to Mideq. Read more at:https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/10/31/sold-an-illusion-group-says-some-nepalis-find-bitter-reality-once-in-malaysia/99320
