London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

UPDATE: recording of this event can be found here.

Come listen to a seminar of the LSHTM Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre:

Human Rights, Civic Empowerment and Minority Communities: Advocating for Better Healthcare in Malaysia

Abstract: Mixed maritime movements of refugees originating from the Bay of Bengal continue to result in scores of deaths at a fatality rate three times higher than in the Mediterranean Sea. Approximately 33,600 refugees and migrants traveled through South-East Asia in mixed maritime movements in 2015 and approximately 370 refugees and migrants who departed from the Bay of Bengal are estimated to have died before reaching land, mostly from starvation, dehydration, disease, and abuse by people smugglers. Yusralhakim will be sharing his firsthand experience dealing with Rohingya refugees including children who were displaced at an immigration detention centre in Malaysia for more that one year while waiting for release processes. Just like the Rohingya refugees, Yusralhakim’s talk will also touch on other minority groups such as LGBT and people living with HIV (PLHIV) communities who have been fighting for their rights in Malaysia.

Biography: Yusralhakim, now an independent activist, started his career as a navigator in the Royal Malaysian Navy before he was diagnosed with HIV which steered his career to social and humanitarian works. He joined Pink Triangle Foundation from 2011 and moved to MERCY Malaysia in 2016. He is a former Program Officer of MERCY Malaysia where he was tasked to handle the humanitarian mission for Rohingya refugees at Belantik detention centre.