More than one hundred thousand Rohingya Muslims have fled violence and persecution in Myanmar in recent years. In May 2015, thousands were abandoned on boats on the Andaman Sea, after the discovery of mass graves in human trafficking camps along the Thailand-Malaysia border led to a crackdown on human traffickers. The primary desired destination for the Rohingya refugees has been Malaysia, where tens of thousands live unrecognized as refugees at risk of exploitation and in constant fear of detention. Their lives are generally better than in the home country they fled, but still far too vulnerable.
Malaysia has been one of the top destinations for Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar. Today, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) identifies over 50,000 Rohingya as people of concern in Malaysia, but the actual number is believed to be much higher.Among the Rohingya fleeing to Malaysia, the number of women and children has greatly increased in recent years. Many faced harrowing journeys at the hands of human traffickers to get to Malaysia.In May 2015, thousands of Rohingya along with Bangladeshi migrants and asylum seekers were abandoned at sea. Twelve-year-old Alinisa* – along with many others – had to swim for several hours before being saved by fishermen.The effects of the May 2015 crisis are still being felt. Mahmuda* and her family were put into a detention center in Malaysia after finally reaching land and were only released a couple of weeks ago. She says her children still wake with nightmares.Rohingya in Malaysia describe life as better than in Myanmar, but still don’t feel safe. Facing daily threats of detention, many rarely leave their homes. RI visited dozens of Rohingya in and around Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Kedah. The greatest concerns were virtually unanimous: lack of education for their children, limited options for medical treatment, fear of detention, and difficulty finding work to provide for their families. UNHCR provides identification cards which reduces the possibility of arrest and increases the ability to find work and receive medical treatment at reduced cost. But not all Rohingya have been able to get these cards.Several local communities set up schools to fill in the gaps, but access to education remains extremely limited.The Malaysian government has said it will join with UNHCR to form a task force to facilitate refugee registration and address the many other challenges faced by the Rohingya. There is no time to waste. Solutions are needed now.
