thank you that ex-team for the warm
welcoming me
what do you think of when you look at
this picture perhaps some of your
thoughts maybe this picture is
representation of innocence hope future
potential but what happened when there
is a group of children who are robbed of
this innocence hope future and potential
today I will be sharing with you about
this particular group of children
forgotten generation of refugee children
in limbo refugee is a person who has
first to leave their country in order to
escape war persecution natural disaster
according to UNHCR United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees one person is
possibly displaced as the result of
conflict and persecution we have more
displaced people today than ever in
history since World War two with over
seventy million people displaced and
nearly twenty-six million seeking refuge
this making the biggest humanitarian
crisis that we currently face with that
in mind how many refugee children and
youths are then out there in the world
today 7.1 million refugee children and
youth
that's over seven million so globally
having lived less than 18 years of their
life experiencing the horror of the
reality of this world is the injustice
world that currently we are having
then we look into the militia concept
where we have 46 thousand children
registered with UNHCR we can also
estimate the double that number today I
will be sharing four of the most common
challenges faced by the refugee children
in Malaysia
there has been significantly lack of
focus on mental health for refugee
children and youth generally you would
see a longer list of mental health
challenges when come to refugees
compared to the local people imagine if
you if you are facing persecution
discrimination further were witnessing
the deaths of the loved one or the
destruction of your homes
the millions of people millions of
children are currently experiencing and
continued living in that trauma
all-white world
according to a study research it
suggested trauma can be inherited which
mean that trauma that refugee children
is having will continue to second and
third generation we can't imagine our
next generation to have this kind of
challenges to fight with themself on
mental health issue
physical health is another huge
challenge faced by the most refugee
around the world and this ring specially
true in Malaysia as a non signatory to
UN Refugee Convention Malaysia still
today did not recognize refugee and
asylum seeker which mean this group of
individual are deemed as undocumented
migrant also putting the refugees where
they can't accept they can access their
basic human rights without our right to
work they can provide balance and
nutritional food food for their children
refugee children face higher risk of
security that make the children confined
to their homes most of their free time
according to one of the group UiTM they
suggested the children are out of school
it's more than 70 percents which means
they the children has nowhere to go
they just sit at home they have nothing
on their their mind they just go through
their daily run their daily struggles
thinking about whether the experience
they have go through of the next what
next
that's lead me to safety and security I
agree or I believe most of the people in
the room might agree with mine my
thought that a child should at very
least have the fundamental right of
safety and security a children who
experience trauma and violence
furthermore terrorize for the more put
in trauma by throwing them into
detention camps as reported in 2019 July
there were three hundred sixty three
children below age of 12 years old are
detained in immigration detention center
in Malaysia you have you have known that
children are going through so much in
their daily struggles it's not only on
their mental health issue they also face
physical issues all these harrowing
experience grieve a more portrait
picture saying at this what I'm gonna
bring forward putting the children
criminalizing them by putting them in
immigration detention center
even after signing a child right UN
child read Convention which required to
protect
each individual below each of 18 as a
child but the refugee children are not
not being recognized so that they are
further more put into the trauma
many of us believe education is the best
tool to empower and create a
progressions and push forward for a
better collective future more than half
of the population are not in enroll in
school
Malaysia did not Malaysian government
did not allow the refugees children to
attend the schools at the local academic
education system which means the
children can do so only through the
learning centers these learning centers
are run by refugee led organizations or
non-governmental organisation and some
of the refugee led organization learning
center are not funded which means they
have challenges in continuing the
learning center to keep running it's
also resort to hiring and trained
teacher in their schools and using
variety of syllabi they have access to
they don't have access to accredited
syllabi which mean they cannot sit for
exam and get certificated which can be
used to enroll delsa themselves in
schools universities and colleges in
futures financial capacity sorry
financial capacity also often often down
put the check the Learning Center in
downsizing their learning center despite
of huge community needs
we have been talking about the four
challenges I would like to share with
you one incident that happened last year
in December by a refugee mother who cry
off at the site asking me to help her
because she's being investigated
together with her family by police
Katrina's Olson died due to fever the
police was investigating her why did not
you take the child to the nearest clinic
or hospital for treatment but the
reality is that the parents can't afford
to pay the medical field despite of
having UNHCR cut refugee can get access
in medical hospital government medical
hospital with 50% of the fees waived but
still the fees as the cause are still
unaffordable by the refugee communities
they don't have right to work they are
not recognized they don't have money to
save the child so where this thing is
leading actually
I'm sure for many of you this is a hard
pill to swallow but this is just the tip
of the iceberg
so what can we do about it
what can you do about it in your own
capacity to help address the biggest
humanitarian crisis that we currently
facing the tragedies of the world first
of all we need to recognize that this is
a problem as long as we stay silent the
issue will continue to raise to
illustrate my point I would like to
quote one of the most prominent
intellectual in history who also happens
to be a refugee some time in his life
the world will not be destroyed by those
who do evil but by those who watch them
without doing anything Albert
that's lead me to the step to talk about
it
many Malaysian and people around the
world don't know about the actual issues
and challenges faced by the refugees
themselves
many of them are who oppose or against
the refugee just get support to
integrate into the society as long as
this as long as this negative opinion or
suggest of ideas flawed in public space
and social media platform the people
empower the politician will empower to
do protect and support the refugee will
be very limited because they see
negative more than positive that's lead
me to step three speak out and show your
support online and offline there are
many resources for reading from UNHCR
website from organization who are
working and supporting refugees in
ground level to policymakers you are
advocating for refugee rights so we need
your support in order to speak up about
AB speak up on this issue do to help the
policymakers to see these are the issues
my local people care about so I should
do something
use your Civic voice in this room
everyone has privilege including me
maybe my privilege is a bit lower than
yours because I'm being undocumented
refugee refugee who are not recognized
and you are Malaysian use your civic
voice to help us be our voice
speak right in to your MPs to head up
your governments to call on for their
humanitarian obligation toward each and
every individual who are living in their
country since Malaysia is a member of
you are us so UN state which mean you at
you you have signed to promise I will I
will protect people in the country but
because I'm being a refugee that put my
my privilege a bit lower than you but
I'm still have a lot of privilege
compared to my other committee
children's
lastly if you have any capacity any any
capacity do support the work that
organizations are doing on the ground
grassroot level such as panag Anita we
are doing advocacy we are doing
fundraising but again we are not funded
if any chance if you could support by
donating to us it will be great of any
other organization who are working to
advocate assisting and supporting the
refugee community to keep continue
living in this world
refugia are not charity cases why am I
saying that we do TR not charity cases
because when ever given a chance to
contribute back to the host country we
won't hesitate to do so there are many
in history which have proven resilience
and resourcefulness who contribute back
to the world with despite of being a
refugee from Albert Einstein to the 14th
Dalai Lama and today in today generation
we have another prominent name a young
youth who speak out and advocate
regardless of the threats and the
violence she face Malala yousufzai I'm
sure many of you have seen her books she
is still advocating for education right
even after being shoot on her face by
Taliban in Malaysia - we have many
inspiring refugees youths who are ready
to contribute whenever they can or
whenever there is a need Hasan al Akram
a Syrian refugee who co-founded al-hasan
volunteer Network an organization to
empower the youth and volunteer to
spread kindness through the social
project for example painting an
orphanage fundraising for our children
for heart surgery
other example will be project spanner
this is a group of young refugee leaders
from Somali community addressing fish
issues faced by the community some of
the issues that they face for example is
the low participation of girls in
schools and they did a such a wonderful
job where there was with the way they
were a well-ordered for a Filmfare over
in 2017 for their short movie and they
also organized leadership program for
the refugee young leader in order to
tackle the real world problem this is
just a three example from many inspiring
young refugees who are currently in
Malaysia as one of them I'm standing in
front of you I'm a second-generation
mohinga refugee as introduced by the MCS
today but I keep talking about privilege
because I feel very blessed I'm very
blessed I was given opportunity to study
in government school and with that
experience I'm able to represent human
right organization the naginata and also
the refugee community in Malaysia to
team growing up as a refugee I've struck
a faced a lot of challenges all the folk
challenges the common challenges that I
shared earlier I already went through
that road as the girls I faced as TVV
sexual and gender-based violence my
memories of childhood being teased and
discriminator isolated by my friends my
teachers by calling me Buddha Burma not
by my name
and just to put something to think of
I'm sure many of you have visited the
beautiful twin Petronas Twin Tower any
of you can I see hands those who have
visited I assume majority of you my
parent my father was one of the worker
who have labored in building the
beautiful petronas twin tower but yet we
are not recognized for our contribution
to this country during my father worked
there he was arrested for being
undocumented and detained in immigration
center for six months after six months
maybe you are guessing he came back to
us no he was sold to a fisherman in
Thailand he labored at the board for
another six month why stress sleep
I should say sleeve without many medical
attention he fall sleep because he fall
sick he couldn't continue work the
fisherman decided to throw him out from
the boat so he was true out from the
pool and luckily there was another
fisherman boat who safely
during his absence my mother she
struggled a lot
in order to protect and support her
children she has to work as a domestic
worker in three different homes in a day
and at night she will work at bakery so
I have little time with her growing up
because we don't have financial security
I often stay home and face harassment by
the housemaid since we cannot rent the
whole house because of my parents
sacrifice I was able to excel myself in
school but again I faced discrimination
I selected nearly molested in the school
no action taken toward the teacher who
try to do so but I was able to empower
myself I could say with the strang and
support by my local friends look at few
local teacher who supported me I
represent my school and the state of
Selangor
in different sport competition
I just wanted to share that when given
opportunity I still wanted to give back
to the host country and I could do so as
such today volunteering at the Naga Nita
as a volunteer community worker
I hope those committee needs we don't
seek charity
we are just requesting for our basic
human rights
I hope this story inspired you and spare
some thoughts for the community to
commit to keep supporting us and share
your perhaps by the four wheels five
ways that I shared earlier with you
treating a few G as the problem is the
problem itself as long as you try to
move forward to a most significant
effort to support and help the community
we could create a better world for our
future especially for the future for the
generation in forgotten generation
and this quotes from my discord from
vibe from my mom the most inspiring
woman in my life before ended I would
like to share that humanity has no race
and religion it is the love and belief
to keep us together for each other
Sakina of the Reza thank you very much
[Applause]