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Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward

Foreign workforce has significantly contributed to Malaysia’s economy, and this country has been relying on them for decades. Unfortunately, Malaysia was already entangled with the country’s treatment of foreign workers even before the onset of COVID-19. As a government suppression attempt to flatte...

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Main Authors: Mafuzah Mohamad,, Jady Zaidi Hassim,
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/1/JM%204.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/juum/issue/view/1714
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spelling my-ukm.journal.242052024-09-19T07:59:55Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/ Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward Mafuzah Mohamad, Jady Zaidi Hassim, Foreign workforce has significantly contributed to Malaysia’s economy, and this country has been relying on them for decades. Unfortunately, Malaysia was already entangled with the country’s treatment of foreign workers even before the onset of COVID-19. As a government suppression attempt to flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve, Malaysian efforts to deal with the situation seem to be at the lowest point. Despite the government’s commitment not to detain them throughout the screening process, foreign workers have been held in immigration depots regardless of their legal status. In addition, the overcrowded immigration depot makes it hard to exercise physical distance, hampers the quarantine process, and unequal health care facilities in detention centres. This situation captured worldwide attention since it violated human rights legislation. The protection of workers’ rights is also in tandem with the United Declaration of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) 8.8, encouraging and ensuring everyone’s right to a safe and healthy workplace is protected. This paper employed thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti 9 software to evaluate the government’s suppression efforts and human rights violations during COVID-19. The findings propose numerous suggestions, including an emergency review of the admission process for foreign workers to Malaysia. The inconsistency in the government policy had hampered the country’s mission of becoming a developed nation. It thus hindered the advancement of innovation and technology, as in the Twelfth Malaysian Plan and Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/1/JM%204.pdf Mafuzah Mohamad, and Jady Zaidi Hassim, (2024) Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward. Jurnal Undang-Undang dan Masyarakat, 34 (1). pp. 49-63. ISSN 1394-7729 https://ejournal.ukm.my/juum/issue/view/1714
institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
building Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/
language English
description Foreign workforce has significantly contributed to Malaysia’s economy, and this country has been relying on them for decades. Unfortunately, Malaysia was already entangled with the country’s treatment of foreign workers even before the onset of COVID-19. As a government suppression attempt to flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve, Malaysian efforts to deal with the situation seem to be at the lowest point. Despite the government’s commitment not to detain them throughout the screening process, foreign workers have been held in immigration depots regardless of their legal status. In addition, the overcrowded immigration depot makes it hard to exercise physical distance, hampers the quarantine process, and unequal health care facilities in detention centres. This situation captured worldwide attention since it violated human rights legislation. The protection of workers’ rights is also in tandem with the United Declaration of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) 8.8, encouraging and ensuring everyone’s right to a safe and healthy workplace is protected. This paper employed thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti 9 software to evaluate the government’s suppression efforts and human rights violations during COVID-19. The findings propose numerous suggestions, including an emergency review of the admission process for foreign workers to Malaysia. The inconsistency in the government policy had hampered the country’s mission of becoming a developed nation. It thus hindered the advancement of innovation and technology, as in the Twelfth Malaysian Plan and Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
format Article
author Mafuzah Mohamad,
Jady Zaidi Hassim,
spellingShingle Mafuzah Mohamad,
Jady Zaidi Hassim,
Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
author_facet Mafuzah Mohamad,
Jady Zaidi Hassim,
author_sort Mafuzah Mohamad,
title Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
title_short Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
title_full Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
title_fullStr Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
title_full_unstemmed Foreign workers and human rights violations: Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 and the way forward
title_sort foreign workers and human rights violations: malaysia’s response to covid-19 and the way forward
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate 2024
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/1/JM%204.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24205/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/juum/issue/view/1714
_version_ 1811683418784661504
score 13.211869

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