This Issue Brief discusses the exacerbated forced labour challenges in Malaysia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ways in which access to remedy and ethical recruitment can be strengthened through a stronger uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). As the country develops its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, this provides an opportunity for Malaysia to take a multistakeholder and whole-of-government approach towards forced labour risks and to reaffirm state and business action that ensures the protection of human rights.