Malaysia
WHERE WE WORK > MALAYSIA
Good Shepherd Sisters in Malaysia
1956 Good Shepherd Sisters arrived in Kuala Lumpur & focused their mission on helping women & children in crisis and those in the margins. Global Shepherds (GSB) was formed in 2017 to manage existing programs for non-Malaysians- women & children- trafficked, forced into migration, refugees, asylum seekers, victims of gender based violence. GSB runs a women’s shelter, outreach programs at govt shelters, also advocacy work, works with policy makers for the need to reform policies and protection schemes.
Key projects
- Migrant Development Program in Sabah – birth registration for undocumented persons, community based child protection programs (Keep Me Safe, Child Sexual Abuse Awareness)
- Counselling & outreach programs at women’s shelter (KL, Sabah and Johor Bahru) for trafficked victims
- Women’s shelter in KL for migrants & refugees, victims of gender based violence.
- Building capacity in govt agencies for victim-centred & trauma-informed care services Advocacy for reforms in policies.
Activities
Project is centred on protection & care of trafficked persons in Malaysia in response to gaps identified in the treatment of victims of trafficking. Overall goal is to implement a system-wide, sustainable shift to a more victim-centred response to human trafficking, increasing victim identification & prosecution of offenders and improving victim protection and restoration outcomes. Address need for building capacity in govt agencies to create victim-centred response within the system.
- Counselling &outreach at government shelters (KL and KK)
- Birth registration for undocumented migrant children
- Child enrichment programmes for migrant communities in Sabah
- Shelter for women- victims of trafficking, gender based violence
- Creating a victim-centred response to trafficking in persons in Malaysia (KL)
- Strengthening resilience in vulnerable communities in crisis, especially children (Sabah)
- Strengthening community-based protection mechanisms for undocumented & migrant children in Sabah
- Creating sustainable safe shelter placement for women & children at risk (KL)
PROJECTS LOCATIONS
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
HIGHLIGHTS
1
Projects
40
Beneficiaries
7
Local staff
AREAS OF INTERVENTION
COUNTRY BACKGROUND / OVERVIEW
Destination country for migrants from all over S.E Asia & South Asia. Home Affairs Ministry estimates 1.8million are registered foreign migrants. Roughly the same number are undocumented & smuggled into the country, working in informal sectors – restaurants, shops, construction, plantations. Vulnerable to debt bondage & human trafficking. Suffer exploitation from employers & corrupt enforcement officials, and risk being arrested and detained in immigration detention camps, sometimes re-trafficked. Rescued victims are placed in shelters (safe houses) during investigation. Malaysia is on tier 2 Watch List of US Trafficking in Persons Report. Government’s protection system is inadequate, inconsistent rehab services, no standardised victim-centred response to victims. There are 7 govt shelters for victims of human trafficking.
Facts and figures
5,421 cases of domestic violence reported (as at 2018)
Source : Womens Aid Organisation
61/189 ranking on the Human Development Index ranking
Mean years of schooling (female): 10.2
No. of children in school in 2018 : 4.8million
Source: Dept of Statistics, Malaysia
Poverty ratio headcount ratio as at 2015 : 0.4%
Source: World Bank
Source : Womens Aid Organisation
Source: Dept of Statistics, Malaysia
Source: World Bank
