Malaysia Keeps Migrants and Refugees in Detention Places

In Malaysia, many migrants and refugees, including lots of children, are being kept in detention centres in very poor conditions. These places are too full, dirty, and lack proper things. Human Rights Watch has found that people detained here are at serious risk of physical hurt and mental harm.

Cruel Treatment and Abuse Rampant in Detention

Malaysian law says that anyone who enters or stays in the country irregularly has done a bad thing. It does not make a difference between refugees, asylum seekers, people who were trafficked, and migrants without documents. The authorities have put over 45,000 irregular migrants in detention since May 2020. 

People who were detained before described a very basic and cruel way of living inside these detention centres, also called depots. They have very little food, things to keep clean, and water. The rules are strict and change unexpectedly, and the threat of punishment is always there.

Unfair Treatment

People in detention have to attend frequent roll calls, where they are ordered to stay silent, with their heads down and not moving, even to use the bathroom. Any noise or movement can lead to punishment, such as being hung from the wall, doing push-ups, squats, or standing under the hot sun for hours.

Migrants are held without the ability to say no to their detention or have it checked by a court. The Malaysian government’s use of long, unsupervised immigration detention goes against international human rights law, which does not allow unfair detention.

Inadequate Medical Care Endangering Lives

Poor medical care and ill-treatment have led to hundreds of deaths in these immigration detention facilities in recent years. Former detainees have reported instances of torture, where they were beaten with bricks and batons, and had officers stand on their chests. Some have even died as a result of this abuse.

Children Suffering in Malaysia’s Detention System

Children kept in these centres face the same bad treatment as adult detainees, including denial of medical care, not enough food, and ill-treatment. Many children in these facilities are malnourished and thin.

The Malaysian government’s immigration detention of children goes against international law. Although the government has talked about alternatives to detention for children, there has been little progress.

Malaysia’s degrading and abusive immigration detention system treats migrants and refugees as bad people, denying them their rights to freedom, health, and fair process. It is time for the Malaysian government to take action and implement good and lawful alternatives to detention, ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups and upholding human rights.