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Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Tenaganita renews calls for standalone legislation to protect domestic workers
An abused domestic worker from East Java was recently rescued by the Indonesian embassy, with the help of Subang Jaya police, after her written plea for help was found by a neighbour. PETALING JAYA : Migrant rights group Tenaganita has renewed calls for the introduction of standalone legislation to protect domestic workers following the rescue of an abused Indonesian woman from a house on Monday. Currently, domestic workers are excluded from key protections under the 1955 Employment Act, leaving them outside the full scope of labour standards afforded to other sectors. 'We need a standalone, comprehensive legislation for domestic workers, one that provides enforceable rights, guarantees fair working conditions, mandates accountability for employers and recruitment agencies, and recognises domestic work as real work under the law,' Tenaganita said in a statement. 'The continued absence of such legislation is a failure of our duty to uphold human dignity and to protect the vulnerable. 'Abuse, exploitation, and violence must never be the price someone pays for simply trying to earn a living.' Muliani (pseudonym), who hails from East Java, was rescued by the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur and Subang Jaya police after her written plea for help was found by a neighbour. The embassy has summoned the Malaysian agency that recruited Muliani to hold it accountable for negligence in monitoring the welfare of their workers. In 2023, Indonesian ambassador Hermono said that about 90% of the complaints received by the republic's embassy relate to abuse experienced by Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Seven migrant women and children died metres from shore in Canary Islands
MADRID (Reuters) -Seven migrant women and children who died when their boat capsized just metres from shore in Spain's Canary Islands were buried on Friday at the La Restringa harbour where they had hoped to find safety. Two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old were among the dead, emergency services said. The migrant boat capsized as rescuers were escorting it to port at La Restringa on the El Hierro island on Wednesday, the services said. "I heard the screams and didn't hesitate. Like any citizen faced with an emergency or an accident, I got in my car, rushed to where the boat was, and helped however I could," Javier Iglesias, a La Restringa resident, said at the funeral of the seven, which was also attended by surviving migrants. "What really moves you and leaves an impression is when you see the faces, the expressions of those people who didn't reach their dream, just five metres from the shore." The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024, but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, Interior Ministry data shows. In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the perilous Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after leaving Africa, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Reuters
31-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Seven migrant women and children died metres from shore in Canary Islands
MADRID, May 31 (Reuters) - Seven migrant women and children who died when their boat capsized just metres from shore in Spain's Canary Islands were buried on Friday at the La Restringa harbour where they had hoped to find safety. Two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old were among the dead, emergency services said. The migrant boat capsized as rescuers were escorting it to port at La Restringa on the El Hierro island on Wednesday, the services said. "I heard the screams and didn't hesitate. Like any citizen faced with an emergency or an accident, I got in my car, rushed to where the boat was, and helped however I could," Javier Iglesias, a La Restringa resident, said at the funeral of the seven, which was also attended by surviving migrants. "What really moves you and leaves an impression is when you see the faces, the expressions of those people who didn't reach their dream, just five metres from the shore." The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024, but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, Interior Ministry data shows. In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the perilous Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after leaving Africa, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Six dead as migrant boat capsizes near Canary Islands port
MADRID, May 28 (Reuters) - At least six people died when a migrant boat bound for Spain's Canary Islands capsized off the island of El Hierro as rescuers were escorting it to port, regional emergency services said on Wednesday. The open-topped boat, which according to state broadcaster TVE was laden with around 180 people, went down as it neared La Restinga harbour on El Hierro, the archipelago's smallest island. A spokesperson for the islands' maritime rescue service said a rescue vessel was escorting the boat to the harbour and as it approached, many of its passengers appeared to rush to one side of the precarious vessel, causing it to capsize. TVE live footage showed the boat sinking, throwing migrants - including children - into the water, with many trying to clamber onto the nearby maritime rescue vessel as its crew tossed life preservers to them. A medical helicopter was sent to help emergency personnel pluck migrants from the water, the emergency services said. The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024 but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, Interior Ministry data indicate. The Atlantic route is especially dangerous as rough weather can easily capsize the fragile rafts, dugout-like boats and dinghies used by most migrants. In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after departing from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
