MASTER THESIS Titel der Master Thesis / Title of the Master‘s Thesis „Foreign Domestic Workers in Malaysia: A comparative study of the situation of migrant domestic workers from Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines“ verfasst von / submitted by Irene Brettner-Litherland angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2016 / Vienna 2016 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 992 884 Postgraduate programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Universitätslehrgang lt. Studienblatt / Universitätslehrgang Master of Arts in Human Rights Postgraduate programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Dr.in Julia Planitzer Acknowledgement My thanks go to: My supervisor Dr.in Julia Planitzer for her great comments on my work. Thanks for your patience and motivating words. The Vienna Master of Human Rights Team, who have been supportive throughout the programme. Thanks for creating this course which has taught me a lot and made it possible for me to improve and develop myself. The Team of Persatuan Sabahat Wanita Selangor, the Malaysian NGO where I was lucky enough to do my internship. The organisation’s name translates as Friends of Women and they truly took me in as a friend. My friends, colleagues and my husband who supported me throughout this rather stressful process of reading, thinking and writing. and especially to my mum. i Table of Content Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................... i List of Tables .......................................................................................................................... vi List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................. vii 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Research Issue and Rational ............................................................................... 2 1.2 Objective of the Study, Research Questions and Structure ................................ 5 1.3 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Limitations ......................................................................................................... 6 2. The International Legal Framework for migrant domestic workers ................................. 8 2.1 United Nations Core Conventions and General Comments / Recommendations for the treatment of migrant domestic workers and the improvement of their situation .... 9 2.1.1 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights..................................................... 9 2.1.2 The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ............................... 10 2.1.3 The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ........... 11 2.1.4 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 13 2.1.5 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ................................................................................................................ 14 2.1.6 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families ....................................................................... 15 2.1.7 International Convention on the Rights of the Child ....................................... 16 2.2 International Labour Standards ........................................................................ 17 2.2.1 Migration for Employment Convention and Supplementary Provisions ......... 17 2.2.2 Domestic Workers Convention and Recommendation .................................... 18 ii 2.3 Overview of international legal framework per country .................................. 21 3. The State of Domestic Employment in Malaysia ........................................................... 23 3.1 Malaysia’s obligation under international law ................................................. 26 3.2 Malaysia’s domestic law .................................................................................. 30 3.2.1 Labour Law ...................................................................................................... 30 3.2.2 Immigration Law ............................................................................................. 33 3.3 International reactions and policy development in Malaysia ........................... 37 3.3.1 Reactions by international organisations ......................................................... 37 3.3.2 Policy developments in Malaysia .................................................................... 39 4. Legal and social analyses of countries of origin ............................................................. 41 4.1 Cambodia ......................................................................................................... 44 4.1.1 Country evaluation and discussion of the circumstances of Cambodian migrant domestic workers ............................................................................................................ 44 4.1.2 Domestic law ................................................................................................... 47 4.1.3 Bilateral agreements and international framework .......................................... 50 4.1.4 Conclusion on Cambodia ................................................................................. 53 4.2 Indonesia .......................................................................................................... 53 4.2.1 Country evaluation and discussion of the circumstances of Indonesian migrant domestic workers ............................................................................................................ 53 4.2.2 Domestic Law .................................................................................................. 57 4.2.3 Bilateral agreements and international framework .......................................... 59 4.2.4 Conclusion on Indonesia .................................................................................. 65 4.3 Philippines ........................................................................................................ 66 4.3.1 Country evaluation and discussion of the circumstances of Filipino migrant domestic workers ............................................................................................................ 66 4.3.2 Domestic Law .................................................................................................. 69 iii 4.3.3 Bilateral agreements and international framework .......................................... 72 4.3.4 Conclusion on the Philippines ......................................................................... 73 5. Comparative study – differences between Cambodian, Indonesian and Pilipino DWs in Malaysia ................................................................................................................................. 74 5.1 Assessment of differences in circumstances of domestic workers .................. 74 5.1.1 Protection from abuse, harassment and violence ............................................. 74 5.1.2 Fair terms of employment, decent living and working conditions and respect of privacy 76 5.1.3 Written job offers and contracts specifying minimum terms and conditions, enforceable in the receiving country and receipt of a copy of said documents .............. 77 5.1.4 Provisions concerning the live-in situation of domestic workers required in Malaysia, confinement in the employers’ homes during rest and leave periods and the confiscation of passports ................................................................................................ 78 5.1.5 Equal treatment with other workers regarding hours of work, overtime pay, daily and weekly rest and annual leave .......................................................................... 78 5.1.6 Minimum Wage ............................................................................................... 79 5.1.7 Social security and maternity protection.......................................................... 80 5.1.8 Recruitment process including private employment agencies – prevention of abuse, licensing and prohibition of deducting fees from salaries ................................... 81 5.1.9 Effective access to courts and complaint mechanisms .................................... 81 5.1.10 Bilateral agreements......................................................................................... 82 5.1.11 Cost of repatriation .......................................................................................... 83 5.1.12 Other differences .............................................................................................. 83 5.2 Impact of home State behaviour on domestic workers in Malaysia ................ 83 6. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 86 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 90 iv Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 104 Zusammenfassung...............................................................................................................