The Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) is a

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

-based

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

that serves

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

and

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and mi ...

from countries other than

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

.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 ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

, 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 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, local integrati ...

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, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

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

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

", 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 individual ...

, making MSRI's work especially difficult.

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 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, local integrati ...

. "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