The Fostering Fee Accountability and Cost Tracking (FFACT) project (2022-2024) was a collaboration among civil society organizations (CSOs) including DIWA with a focus on collecting accurate data on recruitment costs in key migrant worker corridors, including into Malaysia. Through the project, migrant-serving organizations were trained in digital data collection with the aim of enabling stronger local advocacy in tackling forced labor issues in global supply chains. At the same time, through engagement at the local level, it became clear that other issues including child rights and wage theft were top of mind for migrant worker communities.
The issue of wage theft has been a longstanding issue for workers, particularly those who are vulnerable to abuse as a result of their immigration status. In these cases, recruitment-related exploitation including bloated fees and/or contract substitution alongside exploitation at work including non-payment of wages and illegal deductions, create conditions with indicators of forced labor. In some cases job theft occurs, known locally in Malaysia as job scams. CSOs point to legal and policy gaps resulting in insufficient mechanisms to ensure remedy for victims of wage and job theft. Sustained commitment from stakeholders alongside legal mechanisms for redress for those affected remain critical areas. Please read more in our collaborative publication with the North-South Initiative.