The plight of Malaysia’s Rohingya Muslim refugees and Bangladeshi migrants
The Mixed Migration Centre offers new research on the treatment of Rohingya in Malaysia, plus updates from the Freedom Fund and the Alliance of Trafficking in Persons, and a new tool from UNICEF.
Malaysia has seen a wave of online hate speech directed at migrants and refugees, particularly Rohingya Muslims, since late April, accompanied by government announcements and policies that are hostile towards them. As North-South Initiative explained in their article for us recently, the Malaysian government has continued immigration raids despite the local and global outcry from NGOs, health experts, and even U.N. specialists.
In our May webinar, multiple organizations described how the COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the day-to-day lives of migrants in Malaysia.
New research is available from the Mixed Migration Centre Asia, supported by USAID Asia CTIP, on the migration experiences and protection needs of Rohingya and Bangladeshis residing in Malaysia as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The biggest impacts of COVID-19 include reduced access to work, reduced availability of basic goods, and increased psychological distress. Rohingya have also reported experiencing increased xenophobia since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Simultaneously, the Malaysian authorities have pushed back against Rohingya refugees trying to reach Malaysia by boat in recent weeks. Human Rights Watch last week called upon Malaysia and Thailand to urgently rescue Rohingya migrants stranded at sea and provide them with assistance and access to asylum. The boats left from Bangladesh in February, meaning that the hundreds of ethnic Rohingya on board have been at sea for four months without access to adequate food and water. Authorities in Malaysia detained more than 200 Rohingya who came ashore from a damaged boat last week.
Three people whose relatives are at sea told Thomson Reuters that traffickers had demanded money to release them from boats off Southeast Asia. Arakan Project, a research and advocacy group focusing on the Rohingya crisis, says the latest demands were for 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit ($1,170) per passenger to get to Malaysia.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees, and regards refugees as ‘illegal’ migrants. Malaysian officials, including the country’s maritime enforcement agency, did not respond to TR’s requests for comment.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
A new UNICEF guidance tool, designed to help companies in the garment and footwear sector integrate children’s rights into their responsible sourcing programs, is now available. It explores practical steps companies can take – individually and collectively – to ensure children are recognized as important stakeholders in their responsible sourcing efforts.
Rubaiyat Hossain’s Made in Bangladesh is a compelling drama about the pressure on workers in the fashion supply chain and the difficulties of attaining justice, fair pay and safe conditions. Hossain based her film on the stories of hundreds of garment workers whom she interviewed over three years, as she researched and wrote the script, and says she wanted to smash through the stereotype of the poor, exploited factory employee. The film was streamed during the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, but is still available to watch online.
A new scoping study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Freedom Fund analyzes global models of responsible recruitment that protect low-wage cross-border migrant workers.
The recording of the Freedom Fund’s virtual panel discussion ‘On the Frontlines of Vulnerability: Research in the Time of Pandemic’ is available online. Panelists from India and Ethiopia discuss ethical dilemmas and shifts in research practices under the shadow of the coronavirus.
An INTERPOL report, specifically for law enforcement, provides a global overview of the short, medium and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The 20th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons will take place online on 20-22 July. This year’s high-level conference will frame the challenges of investigating and prosecuting human trafficking and the opportunities to improve these processes. There will also be discussions on the linkages between the prosecution of offenders and protection of victims before, during and after criminal proceedings.
The Freedom Keys Research Project invites you to complete a short (five-minute) survey for their study of strategic planning in anti-slavery organizations.
Anti-slavery International is recruiting a consultant to support its work advocating for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (mHERDD) legislation at EU level.
One of our community members is seeking recommendations for research on activities/approaches for the prevention of human trafficking in Southeast Asia for a literature review, via our Facebook group.
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