KUALA LUMPUR – The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has revealed a high number of deaths among Nepalese migrant workers, prompting a call for immediate preventive action to be taken.
According to data provided to Suhakam by the Nepalese embassy, a total of 1,158 deaths among this community in Malaysia was recorded from January 2018 to July this year.
This means that, statistically, 1.15 Nepalese workers have died in Malaysia every day over the 942-day period.
One of its commissioners, Jerald Joseph, told a press conference yesterday that among the causes of death are suicide, workplace accidents, pneumonia, Covid-19 and other illnesses.
However, he said that they do not have information on the exact breakdown of cases and causes of death, but have attributed many of the suicide cases to financial difficulties during the pandemic.
“We were informed by the embassy that many of them were unable to go back, but they had no salary to sustain themselves here since they lost their jobs due to business closures.
“Who will be held responsible for these deaths? How can we eliminate completely or, at the very least, decrease these cases?” he said, adding that the cause determination process and findings should be made public to address these concerns.
“The police must investigate the underlying reasons for the high number of suicides.”
He added that the Occupational Safety and Health Department must also carry out its own detailed inquiry on the causes of fatal workplace accidents and take action against employers who neglect safety precautions.
Joseph stressed that, even though workplace accidents are occasionally unavoidable, companies are responsible for the well-being of their workers. – The Vibes, October 23, 2021
