The refugee situation has been an ongoing process for several countries all around the world. Individuals from countries that are not as providing, or as safe as other countries, flee from their nations for several reasons, particularly survival. Majority of the refugees do not flee from their countries unless they see their lives under threat. As of today, the general population of refugees is estimated to approximately 250 million.
Alan Vernon, from the office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered an address on the situation of the refugees in Malaysia, the challenges the refugees face as well as the opportunities that can be provided to them.
Prior to getting in to detail with the situation of refugees in Malaysia, Alan Vernon addressed some points that needed to be clarified.
Refugees are individuals that have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, political opinions and so on. However, despite the clarity of the refugee situation, people still have a major misunderstanding between refugees and migrants. Migrants for instance, leave their countries for better opportunities, whereas refugees flee from their countries because they feel threatened.
The Refugee Situation in Malaysia
Malaysia has had a large population of refugees that have fled from their prospective countries to find a better life since 1976. The estimation of the refugees in Malaysia is approximately 100,000 asylum seekers. Refugees that come and seek refuge come from various countries like Somalia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and several other countries. However, the largest populations of refugees in Malaysia are the ones that come from Myanmar. There are several issues that were addressed about the situation of the refugees in Malaysia. The main concern is that the majority of the asylum seekers in Malaysia are not recognized as refugees. These asylum seekers do not receive the necessary documents to keep them safe, and due to that they get arrested and put in jail. The issue in this situation is that if the refugees are not provided with the necessary documents that prove that they are refugees, they face two possible consequences: 1) Be put in jail and, 2) the possibility of being sent back home. If these refugees are sent back home, they are put in danger since their initial reasons to leaving their homes were that their lives were threatened. The other issue with regard to the refugees is that these refugees are treated as illegal migrants simply due to the fact that they have not been provided with documents to prove their stay.
Another issue that was addressed in the talk is the education system. The refugees in Malaysia have no access to government schools, and so do not receive the necessary education they require for knowledge. The only available education for the refugee children are extremely basic, lacking materials and the teachers are unqualified. These refugees receive their education from NGOs that have put in that effort to send volunteers, and from retired teachers that are not skilled.
The UNHCR Key Messages
The UNHCR provided several key messages that they consider to being a doorway to providing help to the refugees while at the same time reducing the severity of the situation of the refugees in Malaysia.
- The Malaysian government should take greater responsibility in the issue of the refugees.
- The UNHCR and several NGOs are already supporting and will do more to support the government.
- Opinion leaders can help sensitize the government and the public.
- Start with allowing the refugees to work legally.
- Start with improving education opportunity for refugee children.
The UNHCR also provides the refugees with the necessary documents that will help them gain the refugee status in Malaysia.
Solutions for the Refugees in Malaysia
The UNHCR has taken several measures to ensure that the refugees are treated with the utmost respect, and can receive healthcare at a low cost.
- UNHCR provides the asylum seekers with the necessary documents and register them in their system.
- Prior to providing them with the documents, the UNHCR assess their cases.
- UNHCR provides assistance for the vulnerable.
- Since the refugees from Myanmar are particularly in danger if they get back to their countries, they are more likely to get the refugee status.
- UNHCR provides the refugees with health support. If the UNHCR documents are presented in hospitals, refugees only pay 50% of the medical expenses off of the foreigner’s original price.
- UNHCR provides the refugees with the option of returning to their countries if they choose to return.
- UNHCR are attempting to provide the refugees with local integration.
- UNHCR provides the refugees the opportunity for resettlement (moving them to other countries e.g. USA, UK, etc.)
What Needs to Happen Now
As of today, the UNHCR is attempting to talk with the government about the refugee situation. Particularly, they are trying to make the government allow the refugees to work in Malaysia legally. Without that, the refugees still face the dangers of getting arrested or even worse, being sent back to their countries.
The UNHCR are also trying to establish pilot programmes for lower primary aged children to attend government schools. Apart from the pilot programmes, they are also trying to legalize the refugee community schools under the framework of UNHCR. Finally, the UNHCR have always and will always support NGOs to open more refugee schools so that every child that is a refugee receives the necessary education that is essential for their development.
By: Sarah Ahmed Madhi and Jennifer Kate Tennant