Securing rights for plantation workers

The Malaysian government has set a target to eliminate any form of forced labour practices in the country by 2030 to ensure the rights of workers are protected.

BUILDING a better life for family was Panji’s main source of motivation to work tirelessly, even if it meant doing hard labour.He noticed that friends and relatives who had migrated to work in Malaysia could afford to build comfortable houses for their families and provide proper education for their children.

Upon turning 18 years-old, Panji who hails from the Kalimantan Barat province of Borneo, Indonesia, left his village to work in Malaysia’s oil palm sector.Based on the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) report titled ‘The Cost of Hope: Stories of Migrant Workers in Palm Oil Plantations in Malaysia’, Panji was reported as one of the more fortunate guest workers to have landed on Malaysian soil.