Migrant workers in Sabah, East Malaysia: The importance of legislation and policy to uphold equity on sexual and reproductive health and rights

Sabah, located in Southeast Asia, hosts the highest number of non-Malaysian citizens (27.7%), predominantly the Indonesian and Filipino migrants in comparison to other states in Malaysia. Sabah has inadequate data on migrants' sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs). Various migrant-r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology 2016-04, Vol.32, p.113-123
Main Authors: Lasimbang, Helen Benedict, (MBBS, MMed), Tong, Wen Ting, (BSc (Hons), MMedSc), Low, Wah Yun, (PhD)
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
access to healthcare
Emigrants and Immigrants - legislation & jurisprudence
Female
Health Policy - legislation & jurisprudence
Health Services Accessibility - legislation & jurisprudence
Human Rights Abuses - ethnology
Human Rights Abuses - legislation & jurisprudence
Human Rights Abuses - prevention & control
Humans
Indonesia - ethnology
Malaysia - epidemiology
marriage migration
migrant workers
migrant-related laws and policies
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Philippines - ethnology
Reproductive Health - ethnology
Reproductive Health - legislation & jurisprudence
Reproductive Rights - legislation & jurisprudence
Sabah
sexual and reproductive health and rights
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Summary:Sabah, located in Southeast Asia, hosts the highest number of non-Malaysian citizens (27.7%), predominantly the Indonesian and Filipino migrants in comparison to other states in Malaysia. Sabah has inadequate data on migrants' sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs). Various migrant-related policies and laws are present, but they do not offer full protection and rights to legal migrants in terms of their SRHRs. The aim of the laws and policies appears to be controlling the migrants from having any negative impact on the locals, rather than protecting migrants' health and rights. This affected their rights to marriage, having children, increase their vulnerabilities to labour trafficking and sexual abuse and access to health-care services. Female migrant workers and undocumented migrants form the most vulnerable subgroups of migrants. This narrative review highlights the status of SRHRs of migrants in Sabah and the migrant-related Malaysian laws and policies affecting their SRHRs.
ISSN:1521-6934
1532-1932
DOI:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2015.08.015