Dhaka, Sept. 30 -- Bangladesh and Malaysia should establish a 'binding bilateral labor agreement' governing migrant-worker recruitment that provides meaningful and enforceable protections for workers, Migrant Welfare Network (MWN) and Fortify Rights said on Wednesday.

Previous bilateral memorandums of understanding (MoUs) have included safeguards for Bangladeshi migrant workers, yet workers continue to report excessive recruitment fees, debt bondage, wage theft, passport confiscation, unsafe working conditions, and other abuses.

Unlike a non-binding MoU, a bilateral labor agreement should establish binding obligations between the two governments and provide a stronger basis for ensuring that worker protections are implemented and enforc...