KUALA LUMPUR: Unscrupulous agents are trafficking Indonesian school-leavers and forcing them to work as house-to-house cleaners or part-time domestic workers even though the business is illegal in Malaysia.
The victims, typically from technical schools in Indonesia, are promised jobs in electrical factories, only to discover that they have been deceived on reaching this country.
They are then forced to work as cleaners as they are without money.
Some are forced to work or even sold off as full-time domestic workers to Malaysian employers by the agents, who are also owners of cleaning companies.
MigrantCare country representative Alex Ong revealed that irresponsible cleaning companies were abusing the subcontractor system, which was allowed for cleaning companies for commercial purposes and they would illegally "extend" it by ordering their employees to work in households.
"Under the Human Resources Ministry guidelines, cleaners who come to Malay-sia have to work in defined locations such as malls, condominiums, factories or offices.
"However, Malay-sia allows companies to subcontract cleaning services for their buildings. There is abuse of this system as they extend the service and start working from house-to-house.
"This is not regulated by the Human Resources, Domestic Trade or Consumer Affairs ministries," he told the New Straits Times.
He said some of these workers were living in horrible conditions — there could be about 20 of them per shop lot and some were forced to sleep in the kitchen.
Ong added that some of the workers were also sold off to work as domestic workers for RM20,000, against their will.
"They cannot escape the fate of being a domestic worker.
"If they run away, they would have nothing and no money so they opt to suffer comfortably," he said.
He added that the situation also contributed to the increase in undocumented migrants, as some would run way after being trapped in such situations.
They would then work as part-time domestic workers or cleaners, and advertise themselves on social media.
Ong called for the government to strictly regulate house-to-house cleaning services and allow employers to apply for work permits for domestic workers sold to them by unscrupulous cleaning service companies.
Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia vice-president Suresh Tan said there was high demand for non-stay-in domestic workers in Malaysia.
"We have suggested many times to the government to allow licensed employment agencies to be given a quota as not many employers need full-time domestic workers.
"They said 'no' because there are no laws regulating this."
He urged the government to consider a quota for licensed employment agencies to bring in part-time domestic workers.