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PETALING JAYA: Human rights have taken a beating in Malaysia this year, and women, migrant workers and the marginalized are the ones who suffer.
The promised reforms have been stalled or even thrown in the trash. The gains that have been made have been lost.
Worse than that, according to the commissioner of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Jerald Joseph, is the government’s deafening silence in the face of violations of the most basic rights of the people.
“This has made the environment for human rights in Malaysia even less friendly and less favorable,” he told the Sun.
As Malaysians celebrate World Human Rights Day today with the rest of humanity, a re-examination of the records shows that the country’s achievements have been less than excellent.
To begin with, the people’s right to choose a government has been taken away. The governments legitimately elected by the people have fallen because some representatives of the people decided to cross the corridor.
But politics is just one of the many evils that have plagued human rights in Malaysia. “Our treatment of the Rohingya refugees is a good example,” said Jerald.
In July, Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog, condemned Malaysia for prosecuting the Rohingya for illegal entry rather than granting them refugee status.
“I still believe that Malaysian society is compassionate and empathetic, but some unpleasant incidents have put this quality to the test,” said Jerald. “The reforms have stopped and we are not looking for the good things.”
He said the government is too focused on politics, leaving human rights on the sidelines. “Suhakam has not had the opportunity to meet with any minister in the current government except one. With the previous government, we had more than 10 ministerial meetings in the first 11 months of his administration, ”he added.
The deputy executive director of the Organization for Aid to Women, Yu Ren Chung, noted that the number of cases of domestic abuse has increased 3.6 times this year, and attributed it mainly to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic and the movement control order have disproportionately affected women,” he told the Sun. She said being forced to stay home for extended periods leaves women more vulnerable to domestic violence.
“More women than men have lost their jobs, and women are shouldering more of the burden of care than men.”
He said the change of government has also stopped many reforms. “The Draft Law on Sexual Harassment, the prohibition of discrimination in the workplace on grounds of gender, the introduction of paternity leave of seven days, which criminalizes stalking, and the Draft Law on Gender Equality they have seen little progress this year, “he added.
Yu and Jerald agree that some measures, such as allowances for day care centers and domestic violence centers, as well as the Ministry of Health’s handling of Covid-19, are positive steps, but more needs to be done.
“Human rights are not yet at the top of the national agenda and this is a disappointment,” said Jerald.
“The universal concept of human rights must be recovered. We cannot allow politics to take over this important agenda, “he added.
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