Sustaining Livelihood for Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia Employing an Integrated Approach: A Concept Paper

Mahadevan Krishnan ,Hamoon Khelgat Doost ,Jamilah Ahmad ,Suriati Saad ,Suzyrman Sibli
Keywords: Economy, Policy, Refugee, Rohingya, Sustainability ,

Abstract

Rohingya refugees who have suffered genocide in their home country Myanmar live in semi-urban and major city areas in Malaysia in search of economic opportunities to make a living while waiting for durable solutions accorded to them. This has forced them to engage in informal economy by undertaking various types of occupation and income-generating activities including temporary, unskilled and low wage workers albeit risks of arrest and exploitation. It is therefore a need for a comprehensive and integrated study of the status of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia to identify their challenges, classify their coping strategies and develop an integrated intervention policy to address their challenges while considering the legitimate concerns of the Malaysian government and society. Thus, there is a need to address and alleviate barriers to refugees’ ability to legally seek work in Malaysia.