Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Volume 32, 2016, Pages 113-123

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

Lasimbang H.B.* , Tong W.T. , Low W.Y.
  • a Deputy Dean Office (Clinical Service), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88400, Malaysia
  • b Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • c Research Management Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

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. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Marriage migration Access to healthcare Migrant workers migrant-related laws and policies Sabah Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Index Keywords

law refugee alienation Human immunodeficiency virus infection prenatal care cost health care policy demography Indonesian human epidemiology HIV test reproductive rights priority journal outpatient care Malaysian sexual and reproductive health and rights labor trafficking language ethnology Human Rights Abuses human rights abuse sexually transmitted disease human rights marriage mandatory testing migrant worker Muslim migrant Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants female social security Contraception Indonesia Malaysia Social Stigma prostitution sexual health prevention and control sexual abuse human trafficking Article unwanted pregnancy legislation and jurisprudence history infection prevention migration legal aspect health care access maternal mortality Reproductive Health abortion Health Policy sexual violence social discrimination health hazard Philippines acquired immune deficiency syndrome citizenship Health Services Accessibility health care delivery
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84961204201&doi=10.1016%2fj.bpobgyn.2015.08.015&partnerID=40&md5=888935cdc4b832cba61f00ed459e4bff
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2015.08.015
ISSN: 15216934
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English