Addressing the Needs of Domestic Workers in Malaysia

Photo courtesy of Tenaganita, an NGO addressing exploitation in Malaysia.

As you may remember (from a few months ago), Chab Dai’s office building was formerly a recruitment agency for sending domestic workers to Malaysia.  Now Chab Dai is working to bring them back home.  The past few months have brought about exciting partnerships.  I recently sat down with Ms. Tho Narann (Chab Dai's Malaysia Cross-Border Case Officer), to discuss Chab Dai's brand new pilot project and partnership with the Coalition to Abolish Modern-Day Slavery in Asia {CAMSA Malaysia}.

The conversation between Chab Dai and several human rights and anti-trafficking partner organizations in Malaysia began last year, where the need was strongly expressed for an English-Khmer interpreter to assist Cambodian migrant workers who were experiencing abuse and filing cases in Malaysia.  (You can read about that here). Coordination and further discussions lead to the development of this collaborative-based, case coordination project between Cambodian & Malaysian partner.

“The main goal of the project is to improve the case coordination and tangibly provide a cross-border referral mechanism between Malaysia & Cambodia,” says Narann.   Due in part to language barriers and a complex legal system Cambodian domestic workers who experience exploitation in Malaysia are often labeled and treated as illegal workers, rather than identified as victims of human trafficking.  Though potentially exploited and experiencing physical and psychological abuse, migrant workers may be picked up by police and placed in government shelters or worse, deported.  Without a clear ability to understand the full story from the client, cases sometimes become stagnant.  Narann's role is to support cases of Cambodian migrant workers through Khmer/ English interpretation and assist in referring cases between Cambodian & Malaysian organizations, including repatriation and reintegration support when they return home. As a case officer she is actively building relationships with migrant workers, the Cambodian embassy, Malaysian labour officers, and NGO partners.  Cases can be handled efficiently and properly when the full story is communicated and understood.

Best case scenario, says Narann is to “get the women home and get their compensation from their employer.”  The hope remains for Chab Dai that this project will continue to advocate for Cambodian migrants workers in Malaysia and that further cross-border collaboration will result in sustainable justice and restoration. 

*To see more about Chab Dai and CAMSA, follow our updates on Facebook here and here.

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A Bunch of Chopsticks Can't Be Broken! - Khmer Saying

I happen to be one of those strange people who really loves change.  What isn’t to love about new beginnings? Fresh slate, fresh excitement and if you’re lucky, a good party. Chab Dai celebrated a new beginning yesterday at our new office celebration.  It was a wonderful gathering, celebrating Chab Dai’s history and dreaming about the future with friends and members. And in typical Cambodian fashion, there was enough food to feed us all five times over.

It was a fantastic time to get together and reflect on how much Chab Dai has grown and remember how important it is to be united.  From the humble beginnings of begging for office space from friends to now, being settled in a spacious, beautiful new office - great things are happening! It wouldn’t have been possible without partnerships, support, and teamwork. To reiterate Helen’s words at our celebration, thanks for being part of the history and part of the future.

{By the way, this is also a new beginning for me and I should introduce myself! My name is Mary and I am a new Chab Dai team member.  I am interning in 2012, working on social media and communications stuff.  I am so honored to be a part of the Chab Dai family and engage with all of you.  Feel free to say hello on twitter (mary_chabdai) or find me on Facebook (Mary Hoey).  I would love to ‘meet’ all of you.}