Imagine waking up every day to chase your dream, only to find it’s in vain. Your qualifications are ignored. The job you trained for is out of reach. Instead, you’re lifting bricks on a construction site. This is the harsh reality of career challenges for refugee youth in Malaysia.
I have a dream!
I am a 20-year-old Rohingya refugee who survived war, violence, and persecution.
For 13 years, Malaysia has been my home. My dream was to be an entrepreneur. I believed that business could create jobs for others in my community and help Malaysia’s economy.
For years, I studied hard in a community school. I believed my education was the key to a better life. But the moment I graduated from high school, I found out that refugees can’t legally start businesses or take skilled jobs.
My dream collapsed. And I had to choose a new, unfamiliar path.
The harsh reality: Career challenges for refugee youth
For most of us, the only jobs open are at construction sites or in kitchens. We work long hours, often under unsafe conditions. Employers know we have no legal protection – so pay cuts, mistreatment, or threats are common.
After graduating, I became a waiter to support my family. Malaysia’s minimum wage is RM1,500. But once my employer found out I was a refugee, he reduced my pay to RM1,200.
I couldn’t protest. Refugees aren’t allowed to legally work here. I had no choice but to accept the injustice, fearing I’d be fired or even arrested.
This is my life.
Like many young Malaysians, I just want to work honestly, support my family, and live with dignity. But for refugees, even that is a daily struggle.
Talent lost, potential wasted
When I reflect on my life, I think about Maedah, an artist from Iran who sought refuge in Malaysia. She graduated in Mathematics Programming from Iran’s Science University of Mashhad.
Maedah is smart, logical, and ready for a career in tech. But the law stops her from applying for any professional job – just because she is a refugee.
To survive, Maedah makes and sells beautiful handmade crafts. Her talent and skills in math and programming – skills Malaysia needs to power its digital economy – remain unused.
When refugee youth can’t use our education, everyone loses. Malaysia loses out on skilled workers, creativity, and innovation.
How Malaysian youth can help build change
To my fellow Malaysian youth: you’re not just the future, you’re the present. Your voices already shape how Malaysia treats its people. You have the power to teach, influence and build a fairer Malaysia for everyone.
Here’s how:
- Be a Kind Friend: Be welcoming and respectful. Sometimes, seeing potential in someone means more than you think.
- Connect and Learn Together: Join school or community activities to connect. Study together or share skills, like English or digital literacy. It helps both sides grow and understand each other.
- Share the Story: Talk about the barriers refugee youth face. Change happens when we start conversations that challenge unfairness.
A hope for dignity
People say, “With education the world is your oyster.” But for refugee youth in Malaysia, our world is still fenced in.
We’ve studied, worked and dreamed like everyone else – we just need a chance to prove ourselves.
Education gave us hope. Now we need opportunities – and allies – to turn it into a future.
READ >> Migrant and refugee children in Malaysia: Forgotten or ignored?
