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What Are The Disadvantages Of Illegal Refugees

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In the present global context where over 65 million persons have been forcibly displaced from their homes by conflict and with over 20 million registered as refugees, it has never been more important to strengthen existing national systems for refugees in countries of asylum. This is imperative to increase the range of safe and regulated means by which refugees may reach sustainable solutions to their international protection needs.

In Malaysia, the number of registered Persons of Concern (POC) to UNHCR is currently 150,430, of which approximately 56,000 are Rohingya.

Refugees currently have no lawful means to earn a livelihood or to support themselves and their families and contribute to Malaysian labor market economy. This deepens the profound sense of insecurity and trauma that accompanies their forced displacement. It also prevents them from making a meaningful contribution to Malaysia during their stay in exile.

Negative perceptions of refugees or a backlash against them by civil society would be better managed if they are seen as 'legal' individuals with real identities, via their registration in the Malaysian national database.
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They would have a higher degree of protection from arbitrary arrest and exploitation, including in the work force, and they would have higher levels of disposable income to improve their skill-set and self-reliance (including better health care, education) and community resilience for their families. A better managed registration system would allow better identification and support for very vulnerable refugees. These include unrecognized Rohingya children, victims of sexual gender based violence (including trafficking) and others with acute physical or psychological

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