Who are Refugees?
Refugees
Refugees are people who cannot return to their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution, conflict, violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order, and who, as a result, require international protection.
Migrants
‘Migration’ is often understood to imply a voluntary process, for example, someone who crosses a border in search of better economic opportunities. This is not the case for refugees, who cannot return home safely, and accordingly are owed specific protections under international law.
Asylum-Seekers
An asylum-seeker is a person who has sought protection as a refugee, but whose claim for refugee status has not yet been assessed and processed.
Stateless
A person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law. They do not have a nationality of any country. Some people are born stateless, but others become stateless.
“‘No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.’”
Refugees in Malaysia: Quick Facts
In Malaysia, refugees have no legal status as there are no laws that define what their rights are. As a result of this, refugee families in Malaysia live in fear of being arrested for immigration offences.
There are over 180,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia, including over 15,000 in the state of Johor.
Most refugees in Malaysia are from Myanmar, including the Rohingya - a stateless Muslim minority group. There are also refugees from Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iraq.
There are no refugee camps in Malaysia. Refugees live in towns and cities throughout the country, in low-cost housing; invisible and highly vulnerable.
Mothers and fathers cannot work legally to support their families. They find work in the informal sector, where the work is dirty, dangerous and difficult and where they are subject to exploitation.
Children are unable to attend proper schools and many are unable to complete basic schooling. Refugees often have had their education interrupted or have not received an education at all.
Healthcare is expensive because refugees have no regular work. It is difficult for families to afford basic care and treatment when anyone falls ill. There is no safety net.
The Rohingya Crisis
The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar.
Over a million Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Myanmar in successive waves of displacement since the early 1990s.
The latest exodus began on 25 August 2017, when violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, driving more than 723,000 to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
Nearly all who arrived during the influx have sought shelter in and around the refugee settlements of Kutupalong and Nayapara in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. Some have joined relatives there.
The enormous scale of the influx is putting immense pressure on the Bangladeshi host community and existing facilities and services.
Schools such as CSB are absolutely critical for those who have made their way to Malaysia.
““There are many problems, but I think there is a solution to all these problems; it’s just one, and it’s education.”
”
For more information on CSB’s Outreach & Community work, visit: JOCC
For more information on refugees in Malaysia, visit: UNHCR Malaysia or Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network