ILO's workshop to spread knowledge on forced labour in Malaysia

25 judges, prosecutors, legal aid practitioners, officials from the Commission on Human Rights, the Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as members of the Bar Council of Malaysia participated in an ILO workshop to increase their knowledge on forced labour.

25 judges, prosecutors, legal aid practitioners, officials from the Commission on Human Rights, the Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as members of the Bar Council of Malaysia participated in an ILO workshop to increase their knowledge on forced labour.

Consultants Archana Kotecha and Liva Sreedharan provided lectures and facilitated case study reviews and role plays in 10 different modules: The Legal Framework, Introduction to the Concepts of Forced Labour and Human Trafficking, Important Concepts, Using ILO Indicators, The Victims of Forced Labour, Ethics of Working with Vulnerable People, Criminal Proceedings and Victim’s Rights, Civil Proceedings, Corporate Liability, and Using the Anti-Money Laundering Framework. 

One of the highlights of the event was the participants’ role-play on victim protection. “It is important to consider forced labour and trafficking cases from the victims’ perspective so we better understand their needs and experiences… It does not mean that if the person is able to leave the house there is freedom of movement as some suffer psychological coercion,” stated Ms Kotecha.

The workshop was conducted in partnership with the Judicial and Legal Training Institute (ILKAP), using material developed by the ILO project From Protocol to Practice: A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour .“This workshop aims to improve the quality of the whole criminal, civil and administrative procedures in relation to forced labour cases,” explained Puan Fazillah Begum Binti Abdul Ghani, Director of the Advisory Programme of ILKAP. She noted that the event allowed participants to identify gaps between international and national laws which could eventually be addressed in future labour law reforms.