The Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) is a

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

-based

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that serves

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

and

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...

from countries other than

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

.Shaw, Stacey
"“Sometimes I Think It Was Better That I Died in My Country Than Coming Here:” Assessing Mental Health and Service Needs Among Refugees in Malaysia"
'' Society for Social Work and Research'', 12 January 2017. Retrieved on 8 August 2017. Originally established in 1959 as a research institute, hence its name, the MSRI transitioned to aid programmes during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

, though it still produces academic findings. There are over 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

in Malaysia. With the majority of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia coming from Myanmar, MSRI targets minority groups composed of refugees and asylum seekers hailing from

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

.Mayberry, Kate
"Malaysia's stranded Syrian refugees"
"

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pr ...

", 12 February 2014. Retrieved on 8 August 2017. Some of the many minority refugee and asylum seeker groups Malaysian Social Research Institute works with are Afghans, Somalis, and Syrians. Refugees have few rights in Malaysia as Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is and sets out the rights of individuals ...

, making MSRI's work especially difficult. One of the key managers was Jihad Hasan, syrian lawyer who helped thousands of refugees in Malaysia, he managed Legal Aid at MSRI, and advocated their work rights

Services and programs

Malaysian Social Research Institute offers three core programs to refugees and asylum seekers: an education program for children and adults, a family health care program, and a vocational training program.Yeap, Shalini
"Cover Story: Life in limbo"
'' The Edge Markets'', Malaysia, 21 June 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017. The organization's website also mentions mental health and outreach services, as well as support services such as emergency support and legal case management. Malaysian Social Research Institute is also involved in local advocacy work for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, such as advocating for the right to work legally and the right to state provided education services, as around half of Malaysia's refugees have no access to education. Chairman Datuk Mohammed Ab. Halim Ab. has been quoted saying “The best change for the situation of refugees in Malaysia would be if the government let refugees work legally and let their children go to school. If refugees were allowed to work, they could contribute a lot to society. The families would have affordable access to healthcare when needed, the children would get an education instead of loitering or having to work to help the family survive and not be stuck in poverty and deprivation."Malaysian Social Research Institute is a registered implementing partner with

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

. "Malaysia Factsheet"
''

'', August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://msri.org.my/v5/ Refugee aid organizations Charities based in Malaysia 1959 establishments in Malaya Organizations established in 1959 Organisations based in Kuala Lumpur Refugees in Asia