Govt told to provide better protection for women, child refugees
Published on: Friday, March 08, 2024
By:
FMT, Ameera Huda
Falam Refugee Organization chairman Nu Len handing over a memorandum to UNHCR representative Amalina Amer Shah.
PETALING JAYA: The government should provide better protection for women and child refugees in Malaysia, a human rights NGO said.
The Myanmar Ethnics Organization (MEO) said women have been susceptible to domestic violence, pregnancy, childbirth, workplace issues and immigration raids because of their refugee status.
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Its general secretary, Pau Nuam, said the refugee community has been deeply affected by reports of authorities apprehending mothers and children in raids, traumatising them in the process.
“We call for the Malaysian government and immigration to show more leniency towards women and children during raids, because we are not criminals or a threat to the country’s national security.
“Instead, we are fulfilling our roles as mothers by supporting our children and families,” she said at the Refugees’ Women’s Day media briefing here today.
Pau said there is a need for the eradication of gender prejudice, and called for gender equality in Malaysia.
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Falam Refugee Organization (FRO) office assistant Phyo Ih San called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other governments to establish a safety zone for women, regardless of their status, following Myanmar’s move to introduce conscription.
She said the recently introduced conscription law has raised concerns, and claimed that women have been detained by authorities, putting them at risk of sexual enslavement.
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In February, Myanmar’s junta introduced mandatory conscription for men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 for up to two years, starting next month.
“A country that refuses to accept refugees is deporting us to those circumstances. Following deportation, soldiers subject us to rape and murder,” Phyo said.
North-South Initiative migrant health emergency programme coordinator Thana Seelan Somanatham said men play a crucial role in the protection of women.
“Women are not just dolls for decoration, they are a part of our lives. Without them, we would not be here, so if we see a woman who has been abused or harassed, we must ask them about it. That’s our responsibility and that will provide enough protection for them,” he said.
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