‘I’m unwanted here’: Rohingya refugees’ Malaysian dreams dashed amid arrest fears, prejudice

Members of the persecuted Muslim minority struggling to access education and jobs find solace in volunteering and supporting their community

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Abu, a Rohingya refugee in Malaysia, organises activities to support young people who lack access to formal education. Photo: Steven Ooi/MSF

Published: 5:00pm, 27 Oct 2024Updated: 1:51pm, 28 Oct 2024

At first glance, 21-year-old Abu seems like an ordinary young man living in Malaysia’s Penang state. He enjoys football, has a keen interest in history and, in his spare time, he prepares for university entrance exams in the United States.

However, deep down, the Rohingya refugee doubts he will ever get the chance to obtain a higher education.

Abu’s family fled their home in Myanmar – where Rohingyas are persecuted – almost 13 years ago in search of a brighter future in Malaysia, but ended up facing new challenges as Kuala Lumpur is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol.

Though the country currently has no legislative or administrative framework for dealing with refugees, it hosts an estimated 190,000 refugees officially recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over half of whom are Rohingyas.

Rohingyas are often categorised alongside undocumented migrants and processed as such by immigration authorities. Registered refugees are barred from accessing formal employment, education or receiving any legal protections in Malaysia.

Yet, the obstacles have not deterred many refugees in Malaysia from finding meaning and purpose by volunteering and giving back to their communities, all in the hopes that they can uplift those who share their struggles.

‘I’m unwanted here’: Rohingya refugees’ Malaysian dreams dashed amid arrest fears, prejudice

Members of the persecuted Muslim minority struggling to access education and jobs find solace in volunteering and supporting their community

Dreams of school