Syrian Muslim Refugees in Malaysia: The Narratives and Survivability
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The humanitarian crisis in Syria has impacted the instability in various aspects of security as many as six million of its people have been resettled in foreign countries, including Malaysia. In the survival of protecting themselves, there are obstacles and difficulties encountered in new places. Concerning this matter, the primary purpose of this study sheds light on which elements in the human security paradigm affected Syrian refugees’ survivability in Malaysia. This study was a case study using a qualitative approach. We conducted in-depth interviews with two Global Peace Malaysia (NGOs) officers, three Syrian refugees and participant observations around Kajang, Cyberjaya, Ampang, and Shah Alam. Our findings show the survival patterns experienced by Syrian Muslim refugees in Malaysia in the context of human security, which includes personal, political, economic, and community. To protect the refugees’ social security, precisely, we would like to suggest the Government of Malaysia come up with an individual action plan to address the refugee-related issues. Also, we recommend the NGOs provide a channel to lodge complaints and psychiatry aid to the refugees, aside from focusing on food, health, and education.
Krisis kemanusian di Syria telah memberi impak ke atas ketidakstabilan dari pelbagai aspek keselamatan sehinggakan enam juta lebih daripada rakyatnya menjadi pelarian di negara-negara luar termasuk berada di Malaysia. Dalam survival untuk menyelamatkan diri terdapat pelbagai halangan dan kesukaran yang perlu dihadapi di tempat baharu. Justeru, permasalahan utama kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti elemen keselamatan insan ya ng manakah terjejas dalam survival pelarian Syria di Malaysia? Kajian menggunakan reka bentuk kajian kes menerusi pendekatan kualitatif. Kaedah temu bual mendalam bersama dua orang pegawai NGO Global Peace Malaysia, tiga orang pelarian Syria dan pemerhatian turut serta di sekitar Kajang, Cyberjaya, Ampang dan Shah Alam telah dijalankan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bentuk-bentuk survival yang dialami oleh pelarian Syria di Malaysia dalam konteks keselamatan insan adalah melibatkan personal, politik, ekonomi dan komuniti. Dalam melindungi keselamatan insan pelarian, kajian menyarankan agar Kerajaan Malaysia menyediakan satu pelan tindakan khas untuk mengendalikan isu-isu berbangkit mengenai pelarian agar tidak wujudnya penganiayaan terhadap mereka. Kajian turut mencadangkan kepada NGO selain dari bantuan makanan, kesihatan dan pendidikan, NGO boleh menumpukan kepada dua lagi bahagian iaitu menyediakan saluran untuk membuat aduan dan bantuan psikatari.
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MacTavish, ‘E. Barriers of Reporting Sexual Violence in Syrian Refugee Camps’ {master thesis, Royal Roads University, School of Humanitarian Studies, 2017}
Interview
Fiza Bahar (Executive of project management), Interview, {Wednesday, 20 February 2019}
Hasrol Sazli (Principal of Jasmine ash-Sham’s school), Interview, {Wednesday, 20 February 2019}
Informant A (Syrian refugee), Interview, {Tuesday, 26 February 2019}
Informant B (Syrian refugee), Interview, {Thursday, 20 June 2019}
Informant C (Syrian refugee), Interview, {Sunday, 24 February 2019}
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