Discrimi-Nation: What Discrimination Looks Like In Malaysia

In a coupla weeks, the UN will mark ZERO Discrimination Day, a day that promotes equality untuk semua. Zero discrimination basically means no one gets left behind regardless of who they are, or where they come from.

A few months back, some 400,000 young people from across the world participated in a UNICEF global poll on discrimination. 63% said that discrimination is common in their schools or communities. While almost half feel discrimination has impacted their lives or that of someone they know in a significant way.

I don’t know kalau you all sama tak, but I usually think of race as the main thing when discrimination is brought up in Malaysia. That said, I also know it’s actually much broader than just race. While I love this country and just how vibrant it can be, I’ve unfortunately witnessed the many ways we discriminate against one another. And I guess you have too … 😭

Discriminated and Excluded in Malaysia

Here are some instances of discrimination that we endure in Malaysia:

1. Not all genders are treated equally

Walaupun ada improvement sikit, ada jugak some families who still treat girls like they’re less than boys because of stereotypes born out of patriarchal attitudes.

Women and girls are also more vulnerable to sexual harassment and abuse. When this happens, people usually blame girls when they did nothing wrong. “Siapa suruh dia kawan dgn laki”? Excuse me, then shouldn’t you blame the laki yang took advantage of her? And of course, there’s also the issue of child marriage. It affects both girls and boys, but I rasa our laws still better protect boys. Why do I think this? Because 90% of child marriage cases involve girls versus 10% for boys.

Luar rumah pun sama. Doctors don’t always take the pain women and girls report seriously. Society also snubs women for leadership roles because they’re seen as “too emotional”.  As if emotional intelligence and empathy aren’t key traits for a good leader smh.

While I’m at it, we can’t talk about gender discrimination and ignore my rainbow darlings. Trans and queer people have it way worse: many are discriminated against simply for existing in this country! This is felt across the spectrum of LGBTIQ community in Malaysia, who face discrimination at home, in school, in their communities and by law. Just like women (and every person in Malaysia), LGBTIQ persons have a right to live without fearing for their safety on the daily.

2. Ethnic / Racial Discrimination

We all know pasal it being harder for certain races to rent property in Malaysia, tapi they also experience discrimination as children. This can be seen in bullying in school, from not only their peers but also some adults around them.

As someone who is half-Indian but looks more Malay, I tak pernah diusik about my skin tone. But many of my Indian friends have, especially those with darker skin. Some even had the K slur thrown at them sejak sekolah rendah lagi. This same breed of racism and colourism is also the reason many African students in Malaysia struggle to rent rooms and face prejudice on a daily basis.

Orang asal too face a lot of discrimination in schools. Ada ramai yang kena buli teruk sangat sampai they end up dropping out. This affects not just their student life, but also their ability to find work as they grow older. Let’s not even get into how messed up that is considering most schools are built on what is technically their land!

READ >> How to Talk to Your Racist Relatives about Racism

3. Against Refugees & Stateless Children

FYI, the Malaysian government does not officially recognise refugees or have a formal asylum system. Disebabkan ni, memang susah for refugee children to access basic services such as education and healthcare.

Stateless children pun sama. There are numerous reasons why a child might become stateless. For one, they were abandoned as a baby and don’t have their sijil kelahiran.

And the worst part is that ni bukan effect sementara je. Kalau diorang tak boleh belajar and takde legal citizenship and recognition, then when they’re older, it’s going to be just as hard for them to find work. Many of them are forced into child labor and are exploited as they enter adulthood. Since this is the only way for them to earn a living for themselves and their family.

4. Disability Discrimination

And let’s not forget the discrimination experienced by persons with disabilities. Unintended bias, I rasa, is possibly why Malaysia has not made so many things more accessible. And I’m not just talking pasal sekolah and healthcare. Even malls and other public spaces and social events can and should be made more accessible for those who are with disabilities and difficulties with mobility.

Some people may have a stigma about people with disabilities and exclude them from society. But it’s important for everyone, including kids, to feel like they belong. When society leaves out people with disabilities, it can have an impact on their mental health. So, we need to work harder to make Malaysia a more inclusive community.

Discrimination is a disease, and fairness is the cure.

Discrimination often rolls over from one generation to the next. This means we need to end it as soon as possible to prevent the cycle from repeating. Everyone deserves to have their rights protected, regardless of the circumstances they are born into or find themselves in.

We might not get to Zero Discrimination by tomorrow, but taking these steps will surely help:

1. Learn to listen to the voices of those who experience discrimination. Empathize and educate yourself so you can be a better ally!
2. Spread awareness by sharing resources like this one so your loved ones can join the fight to end discrimination too.
3. Call out and challenge discrimination in your day-to-day interactions, but only if it’s safe to do so. Kalau tak, get an adult you trust to intervene instead or report it.
4. Demand for laws to treat men and women equally. For a start, let’s change the marriage law so that girls and boys are both equally protected.

I know it’s a big task. Discrimination memang dah hidup lama, but by banding together, we can hopefully motivate those in power to introduce better laws; laws that protect the rights of every child, young person and adult in Malaysia.

Change is possible. Thank you Government of Malaysia for recognising that moms and dads must have the same rights to confer citizenship to their kids. Way to go and let’s make it happen. <3