Andy Hall - Migrant Workers Rights Specialist

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Risky Business with Darian McBain: Asia

15th January 2024

Why Human Rights Matter to Business with Darian McBain - Interview with Andy Hall - Migrant Worker Rights Specialist

Why Human Rights Matter to Business with Darian McBain – Interview with Andy Hall – Migrant Worker Rights Specialist

Asian business is changing. Customer demands, government regulations, stakeholder expectations, they are all evolving under the pressure of the environmental crisis. And even the most robust business models are starting to show cracks. But it’s through those cracks that opportunities arrive.

Do you know how to navigate this new normal?

Andy Hall is a human rights defender, a researcher/investigator and activist, and an independent specialist on migrant worker rights.

In this episode of Risky Business, Andy talks about how he uncovered – and helped to tackle – the problem of labour rights abuses in Malaysia’s latex glove industry.

Click HERE to listen 

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Andy Hall

Andy Hall

Andy Hall is a British human rights defender and a migrant worker specialist working in Asia, Middle East and the Gulf

Andy Hall

5 hours ago

Andy Hall
www.facebook.com/share/p/1DA2Bg5KRd/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE30 July 2026MWN Statement on Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr. Mahdi Amin’s Announcement on the Reopening of the Malaysia Labour Market Following Bilateral Talks in PutrajayaThe Migrant Welfare Network (MWN) notes the press conference held today at 3:00 PM at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur by Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr. Mahdi Amin and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, following their three-day visit to Putrajaya to discuss the reopening of the Bangladesh–Malaysia labour migration corridor.During the press conference, the Prime Minister’s Adviser announced that the Government aims to resume the deployment of Bangladeshi migrant workers to Malaysia from the last week of August, reportedly through the Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL). Beyond this general announcement, however, little substantive information or detail was provided.While MWN welcomes any genuine government initiative aimed at reopening decent, low-cost, and employer-sponsored employment opportunities for Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia—whether through BOESL or other transparent mechanisms—we remain deeply concerned that no clear roadmap, cost framework, implementation plan, or detailed information has yet been made publicly available to workers, recruitment agencies, and other stakeholders regarding this important national issue.For several months, thousands of aspiring Bangladeshi migrant workers have been waiting for concrete updates on the reopening of the Malaysian labour market. Unfortunately, despite repeated announcements—including recent statements suggesting that the labour market had already reopened—there remains a significant lack of transparency regarding recruitment procedures, worker quotas, selection mechanisms, migration costs, employer demand, and safeguards against the corrupt and irregular recruitment practices that have plagued this migration corridor for decades.MWN is also concerned that several high-level government delegations from Bangladesh have visited Malaysia in recent years under different administrations. Yet the main achievement consistently cited has been agreements relating to a limited number of workers stranded following the May 2024 recruitment suspension, with deployment largely focused on Malaysia’s construction sector. These visits have produced few tangible benefits for the wider population of prospective migrant workers.MWN is therefore concerned that the latest mission—and today’s announcement—may ultimately prove no different from similar declarations made over the years, many of which generated significant expectations but resulted in only a small number of worker departures and no meaningful reopening of the labour market.MWN believes that policy-level discussions on labour migration, safe migration, and development cannot address the uncertainty faced by migrant workers unless they are accompanied by clear operational guidelines, measurable implementation plans, and detailed information that is publicly accessible.At present, many migrant workers in Bangladesh continue to face uncertainty and confusion and are therefore unable to make informed decisions about their migration plans, financial commitments, and future livelihoods.MWN therefore urgently calls upon the Governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia to:• Publicly disclose the agreed framework, implementation strategy, and timeline for reopening the Bangladesh–Malaysia migration corridor.• Ensure full transparency in worker recruitment, selection, and deployment processes.• Clearly announce approved migration costs, eligibility criteria, and safeguards to prevent overcharging and exploitation.• Establish accessible information, support, and grievance mechanisms for migrant workers.• Engage genuine migrant worker representatives, including MWN, and civil society organisations in monitoring and evaluating implementation processes.The Migrant Welfare Network remains committed to supporting a fair, transparent, and rights-based migration system in Bangladesh, particularly at a time when migration costs for Bangladeshi workers continue to rank among the highest in the world.We hope that the authorities will provide regular updates, detailed information, and concrete actions so that migrant workers can have confidence in the process and avoid falling victim to misinformation, uncertainty, debt, or exploitation.Migrant Welfare Network (MWN)30 July 2026 ... See MoreSee Less
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Andy Hall was attending an event.

8 hours ago

Andy Hall
আসসালামু আলাইকুম, প্রিয় সহকর্মী,আজ ৩০.০৭.২৬, রোজ বৃহস্পতিবার, বিকাল ২.৪৫ ঘটিকায় বাংলাদেশ হাইকমিশনে মাননীয় মন্ত্রী মহোদয় এবং মাননীয় উপদেষ্টা মহোদয় মালয়েশিয়া ভিজিট নিয়ে সম্মানিত সাংবাদিকগণের সাথে কথা বলতে চেয়েছেন।এ সময় আপনাকে উপস্থিত হওয়ার জন্য অনুরোধ করছি।আন্তরিক ধন্যবাদ। অনুরোধে প্রথম সচিব (প্রেস) বাংলাদেশ হাইকমিশনকুয়ালালামপুরAssalamu Alaikum, Dear Colleagues,Today, 30.07.26, Thursday, at 2.45 pm, the Honorable Minister and the Honorable Advisor would like to speak to the esteemed journalists about their visit to Malaysia at the Bangladesh High Commission.I request you to be present at this time. Thank you very much. At the request of First Secretary (Press) Bangladesh High CommissionKuala Lumpur ... See MoreSee Less
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A Discussion with Andy Hall About his Work and Life - February 2022

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