The US state department said the Malaysian government does not effectively regulate labour recruiters, including those who charge workers recruitment fees that facilitate debt-based coercion and vulnerability to forced labour.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia maintained its Tier 2 ranking in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for a third consecutive year after the US state department said it does not fully meet the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.

The report noted more investigations, prosecutions and convictions over the past year, but said corruption, weak regulation of labour recruiters and inconsistent victim identification continued to undermine progress.