Give refugees basic human rights please, NGOs urge govt
The NGOs want women and children refugees to be sheltered in homes or centres instead of being placed in detention centres.
PETALING JAYA: Women and refugee groups are calling on Putrajaya to give more rights to refugees in the country, saying refugees have become a source of labour exploitation and human trafficking.
At a joint press conference, Alliance of Chin refugee coordinator James Bawi Thang Bik said refugees in Malaysia faced “unstable” and “precarious” lives.
He said the concerns of refugees were mainly the legal right to work, access to formal education, affordable healthcare and a framework for refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into society.
Another refugee group representative, Cherryn Certe, urged Putrajaya to pay special attention to vulnerable refugee groups, mainly single mothers, elderly and refugees with serious medical conditions.
Meanwhile, Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das spoke about the exploitation and plight of refugee workers.
“Most industries employ refugees but when there is a crackdown or raid, they become the target,” said Das.
She said refugees who were detained were immediately deported.
“Many women and babies as young as three days old are at detention centres. We don’t want women and children in detention, they should be housed in centres and homes,” she said.
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Das said if more rights such as employment and education were given to refugees they could eventually contribute to the development of Malaysia’s economy.