KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 -- A coalition of rights groups have urged the government to expedite tabling the Domestic Workers Bill, following up on repeated calls to institute legal safeguards as migrant labourers in the country continue to face abuse and dehumanisation.

The group said in a joint statement that the recent abuse and killing of a domestic worker was not an isolated incident, but a "part of a disturbing and persistent pattern of violence, abuse, and systemic neglect that has plagued the lives of domestic workers in Malaysia for decades."

"We remember Adelina Lisao, Nirmala Bonat, Siami, Siti Hajar, Meriance Kabu, Mautik Hani, and so many others who suffered severe abuse, neglect, and death in Malaysian homes," the coalition sai...