Discrimination: The constitution prohibits discrimination against citizens based on gender and gives men and women equal property rights, although sharia, which deviates from these principles in some areas, was sometimes applied. Malaysia's GDP in 2019 was $364,684 million. The social problems in Malaysia are getting worse to worst nowadays. Saddiq pleaded not guilty in a lower court in Johor State to two counts of money laundering, involving 100,000 ringgit ($24,000). Sedition and criminal defamation laws led to self-censorship by local internet content sources, including bloggers, news providers, and activists. 05:27 AM (GMT) Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to resign on Monday after a tumultuous 17 months in power marked by his government's poor response to . Among lots of social issues in Malaysia, i choose 5 social issues that i felt is the worst in Malaysia. By law only registered organizations of seven or more persons may legally function. Police abuse of suspects in custody and a lack of accountability for such offenses remained a serious problem. Local advocates contended that imprisoned transgender women served their sentences in prisons designated for men and that police and inmates often abused them verbally and sexually. NGOs continued to criticize the lack of resources dedicated to enforcement of the law. The same thing will happen all over the world in 2023. The government occasionally censored foreign magazines, newspapers, and news programming, most often due to sexual content. Activists have filed two court cases, in the High Court and the Federal Court, challenging the existence and use of these laws in Selangor. Top Social Causes That Singaporeans Cared About in 2020 The stay followed a hearing on a joint filing against the government by Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia, alleging that among the deportees there were documented refugees, asylum seekers, and minors separated from parents residing in Malaysia. In July police opened investigations into a protest by contract doctors demanding better job security. A lawyer representing Ganapathys family said an autopsy revealed his death was due to severe injuries to his legs and shoulders. There were 46,170 children younger than age 18. Federal police reported approximately 20,000 internet addresses in the country uploading and downloading child pornography. Police must inform detainees of their rights to contact family members and consult a lawyer of their choice. The GDP per capita of the country in the same year was $11,193, which was higher than that in 2017 (Country Economy, 2021). Human rights organizations expressed serious concerns about the lack of access to fair legal process and adequate representation during immigration court hearings. The alliance, led by parliamentarian and former youth and sport minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, had a successful social media launch, securing more than 300,000 member registrations in one month in late 2020. The Royal Malaysian Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ethnic Tensions in Malaysia - Radical Voting rights. Class:Class 1 Sec 4. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos on the most concerning environmental issues . The government does not recognize marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims and considers children born of such unions illegitimate. The protest took place amid threats of disciplinary action by hospital administrations and heavy police presence at several major hospitals nationwide. For instance, Islamic inheritance law generally favors male offspring and male relatives. Reports indicated that COVID-19 led to an increase in the number of self-employed gig employees. Thursday, 18 Feb 2021 10:31 AM MYT. I N KUALA LUMPUR, the chief city, as elsewhere in Malaysia, white flags hang from windowscries of help from . The government also had the right to compel arbitration in the case of failed collective bargaining negotiations. The NGO EDICT called for an inquiry, adding that for police to abuse tactics to force suspects to confess is inappropriate. In September, Home Affairs Minister Hamzah announced police had started an inquest into the death. Current Issues - RELATE As a result, after a deep recession in 2020, and assuming the pandemic is brought under control in Malaysia and globally, growth would rebound to 6.5 percent in 2021 as supply side . The measures included school officials forcing girls to show their blood-soaked sanitary pads; doing swabs of their vaginas with cotton buds, tissues, or fingers; or patting them down to feel if they were wearing a sanitary pad. Therefore, we have compiled a list of the biggest social issues of 2021 in this blog. Among the allegations was that the inmates genitals and anuses were pepper-sprayed, rendering them unable to urinate or defecate. Unless trends change this year, the annual total of newborns in the world's third-largest economy is on track to hit . Opposition lawmakers slammed then minister of health Adham Baba for breaking his promise that no action would be taken against doctors who participated in the strike. Frustration Grows in Malaysia Over Government's Slow Flood Response Revising on Mental Health Issues and Challenges in Malaysia 13 Comments. Instead, bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding between the government and some source countries for migrant workers include provisions for rest periods, compensation, and other conditions of employment for migrant domestic workers, including prohibitions on passport retention. The constitution provides for a fair and public trial, and the judiciary generally enforced this right. 5 Social Issues In Malaysia. Since then, authorities have opened investigations into numerous activists and opposition politicians for speech critical of the government. Defendants may appeal court decisions to higher courts, but only if the appeal raises a question of law or if material circumstances raise a reasonable doubt regarding conviction or sentencing. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. Recently, the statistics have shown an increase in abortion. Pandemic failures will transform Malaysian politics World Report 2022: Malaysia | Human Rights Watch The law prohibits general strikes, and trade unions may not strike over disputes related to trade-union registration or illegal dismissals. Over 175,000 refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom come from Myanmar, are registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office but have no legal status and remain unable to work or enroll in government schools. The government did not effectively enforce laws prohibiting child labor. LGBTQI+ persons reported discrimination in employment, housing, and access to some government services because of their sexuality. Social problems are matters or situations that reduce quality of life in a society. The number of unemployed female graduates is much higher in comparison male graduates. In October the government revived a 2018 criminal defamation suit against British journalist Claire Rewcastle-Brown for her reporting on the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal that led to the conviction of former prime minister Najib in 2020 on corruption charges and occasioned his continued prosecution on other corruption and abuse of power charges during the year. Other buyers requested suppliers to reduce or exclude FGV and Sime Darby products for supplies entering numerous countries. The court ruled that the money received by Tengku Adnan from a businessman was a donation to UMNO, although it was deposited into an account of a company that belonged to Tengku Adnan. Nonetheless, police often denied detainees access to legal counsel and questioned suspects without allowing a lawyer to be present. NGOs reported that stateless children in Sabah State were especially vulnerable to labor exploitation in palm oil production, forced begging, and work in service industries, including restaurants. According to police figures, a total of 872 teenagers aged 15 to 18 committed suicide between January 2019 and May 2021. Thank you for this excellent article. Domestic and international human rights groups operated subject to varying levels of government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases; however, the government was not always cooperative or responsive to their views. Arbitrary Arrest: Authorities sometimes used their powers to intimidate and punish opponents of the government. Previously the federal government permitted stateless children to enroll in public school if parents were able to prove the childs father was a citizen, but in November 2020 the minister of education informed parliament that stateless children did not have access to public schools but could attend private schools. For example, the rural district of Igan had 18,000 registered voters, while the urban district of Kapar had more than 144,000 registered voters. The government reserved large quotas for the bumiputra majority for positions in the federal civil service as well as for vocational permits and licenses in a wide range of industries, which greatly reduced economic opportunity for minority groups (see section 6, Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination). Our findings reveal that the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and perpetrator is 13.7% and 3.8%, respectively. Members of the Malaysian Bar Council, NGO representatives, and other observers expressed serious concern about significant limitations on judicial independence, citing several high-profile instances of arbitrary verdicts, selective prosecution, and preferential treatment of some litigants and lawyers. Sexual Harassment: The law prohibits a person in authority from using his or her position to intimidate a subordinate by any conduct that is sexual in nature. Acryl Sani was reported to have commented that the classmates rape threat was possibly a joke. Moreover, racism and special privileges leave some . We understand that pulling together the top most common and popular issue prevailing in 2021 is not simple. The board may renew the detention order or impose an order to restrict, for a maximum of five years, a suspects place of residence, travel, access to communications facilities, and use of the internet. During this time authorities allegedly repeatedly questioned her; deprived her of contact with her lawyer; and detained her in unsafe conditions, including lack of water, food, and access to medicine, at times with possibly COVID-19-positive detainees. Police indicated he was also COVID-19 positive. Share this via Twitter Share this via Telegram FEBRUARY 18 With the current four-digit infection cases and no sign that the situation will abate anytime soon, it would seem that Malaysia's macroeconomic conditions will worsen rather than improve for 2021. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, a. The Mental Toll Of The Pandemic On Young People In Malaysia Government procurement and licensing policies favored bumiputra-owned businesses. Pre-existing inequalities in education were exacerbated by students unequal access to the internet, with rural and indigenous communities particularly affected. Despite alleged electoral irregularities and systemic disadvantages for opposition groups, Barisan Nasional lost the election to Pakatan Harapan, the first transfer of power between coalitions since independence in 1957. Ongoing political instability led to an emergency proclamation that suspended Parliament for the first time since 1969, followed by an unprecedented public rebuke of political leaders by the Malaysian king, and the third new government in as many years. The number detained in these centers was not publicly available. The Barisan Nasional (BN) political coalition ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until 2018, maintaining power by manipulating electoral districts, appealing to ethnic nationalism, and suppressing criticism through restrictive speech laws and politicized prosecutions of opposition leaders. Five Global Issues to Watch in 2021 | unfoundation.org It requires employers to identify risks and take precautions, including providing safety training to workers, and compels companies with more than 40 workers to establish joint management-employee safety committees. In February 2020 the Pakatan Harapan coalition collapsed, and power transferred to the Malay-dominated Perikatan Nasional coalition which included the main Barisan Nasional components, headed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Girls age 16 and older can marry with permission of their states chief minister. The Striking Mental Health Statistics in Malaysia It is never a dull day in Malaysian politics, but there seems to be a brief pause - for the time being. According to the International Press Institute, the nationwide state of emergency declared in January to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, postponing parliamentary sittings and elections while banning interstate travel and imposing restrictions on media, posed a grave threat to press freedom and freedom of expression. In March the government enacted an emergency ordinance prohibiting the spread of fake news related to COVID-19 and the state of emergency declaration with heavy fines, three years in prison, or both for violations. #3. Before and during that campaign, opposition politicians and civil society organizations alleged electoral irregularities and systemic disadvantages for opposition groups due to a lack of media access for the opposition and malapportioned districts favoring the then ruling coalition. The nongovernmental organization (NGO) Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (EDICT) accused the government and police of not taking the issue seriously and called for a coroners inquest to determine the cause of death. It has recorded more than 800,000 cases in total, but over 110,000 in the past fortnight alone. Although China is Malaysias largest trading partner, in July 2020 Malaysia rejected in its entirety Chinas claims to rights in the South China Sea encompassed by the nine-dash line. Parents applying for late registration must provide proof the child was born in the country. They should have proficiency in English. Although observers reported that no Department of Immigration officers were seen at vaccination centers, there were isolated reports of police roadblocks or intimidation of refugees by police on their way to vaccination centers, including an instance when police tore up an expired UNHCR card. The cofounder of youth group Misi Solidariti, Sharon Wah, questioned along with four other activists, declared: Laws that arbitrarily criminalize speech and legitimate criticism remain on the book. Journalist Tashny Sukumaran was questioned over her report on a round-up of migrant workers, and in June, police opened an investigation of Boo Su-Lyn, editor of the health news portal CodeBlue, under the Official Official Secrets Act and the penal code for a series of articles about the findings of an independent investigation into an October 2016 hospital fire that killed six patients. That said, the survey has identified three key challenges likely to arise for HR in the coming 12 to 24 months, namely: 13% of the workforce will be made redundant. Violence and Harassment: Journalists were subjected to harassment and intimidation. The plan outlined policies to increase access to education and attendance in schools, increase access to health education, address stigma and social norms on child marriage, and specify laws and guidelines on child marriages that are in line with government policies guarding the well-being of children. Hamid alleged government interference in previous judicial decisions and complicity by judges in sham cases designed to reward government supporters with large settlements. Physical Conditions: Overcrowding in prisons and immigration detention centers, particularly in facilities near major cities, remained a serious problem. Malaysia: 2021 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff - IMF . The trial of former deputy prime minister Zahid Hamidi for his role in a fraudulent scheme involving hundreds of thousands of Nepali workers seeking jobs in the country continued as of September. In October UNHCR estimated there were 9,040 stateless persons residing in peninsular Malaysia, the majority of whom were of Indian Tamil ethnicity. SOSMA allows for preventive detention of up to 28 days with no judicial review for a broadly defined range of security offenses. Both the 1959 Prevention of Crime Act and the 2015 Prevention of Terrorism Act give government-appointed boards the authority to impose detention without trial for up to two years, renewable indefinitely, to order electronic monitoring, and to impose other significant restrictions on freedom of movement and association. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): The law does not prohibit FGM/C, and it was a common practice among Muslim and some indigenous communities. In June the Malaysia Stock Exchange removed Top Glove from its responsible investment indexes based on allegations of forced labor. In July, the minister in charge of religious affairs gave full licence to the religious authorities to take action against transgender people, both through arrests and religious education to return them to the right path. In August, after activist Nicole Fong responded to his statement by posting a series of infographics online critical of the official mukhayyam programwhich aims in part to influence LGBT people to renounce their non-normative gender identity or sexual orientationreligious authorities lodged a police report against her. Government social protection policies will need continuous revisions and adjustments to bring Malaysia forward into a more equitable future. The governments national five-year roadmap for 2021-25 targets child marriage. Observers noted that authorities took claims seriously, but victims were often reluctant to report sexual harassment because of the difficulty of proving the offense and the lengthy trial process. In-country Movement: Sabah and Sarawak States controlled immigration into their areas and required foreigners and citizens from peninsular Malaysia to present passports or national identity cards for entry. In September Home Affairs Minister Hamzah Zainudin reported to parliament that as of August 25, there were 2,881 prison detainees younger than 21. Freedom of Movement: The government generally tolerated the presence of undocumented refugees and asylum seekers but sometimes detained them for a variety of causes in police jails or immigration detention centers until they could be deported or UNHCR established their bona fides. Supporting the essential social work workforce. Nearly a third reported that their recruitment agency threatened them not to speak about being charged the fees. Separate education facilities also existed but were insufficient to meet the needs of all students with disabilities. Environmental Issues in Malaysia: Suggestion to Impose Carbon Tax Covid-19: Malaysian experts weigh in how to handle social anxiety and . Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Office of the U.S. A 2018 survey by a local transgender rights group reported more than two-thirds of transgender women experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse. Responding to a request from the deputy public prosecutor, a judge ordered her release. Displacement. Among these detainees, 45 were pending trial while 2,836 were convicted prisoners. Check our list and get an inspiration boost. In 2020 the NGO Womens Aid Organization reported that 9 percent of women who had ever been in a relationship experienced domestic violence and such violence was symptomatic of a deeper problem: gender inequality. A November report by the organization found that 53 percent of respondents believed domestic violence was a normal reaction to stress or frustration, and 43 percent believed a woman could so anger a man that he hit her without meaning to, suggesting a culture deeming such violence acceptable when perceived as an emotional gesture, or in the event the victim has behaved in a way that triggers the abuse. In Penang State, police as of July recorded a 35 percent increase in domestic-violence cases compared to 2020. It finds that about 64.5 percent of jobs in Malaysia cannot be performed from home, after . I very much appreciate it. Activist Numan Afifi expressed concerns about the escalation and trend towards more prosecution against the LGBTQI+ community in Malaysia, including separate proposals in April to increase sentencing terms against LGBTQI+ offenses under sharia. Continue reading and get to learn about the 10 common social issues around the world. People also migrate because of factors like wars, poverty, discrimination, and for political or even religious reasons. Access to Asylum: The law does not provide for granting asylum or refugee status, and the government has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. Employers may be required to pay back wages plus the fine. Migrants, refugees, and stateless persons receive no government support. As of August 24, the ministry had inspected 23,993 employers and 129,668 staff quarters covering the accommodation of 804,204 migrant workers and close to 1.2 million workers. In 2021, the UN's planned Food Systems Summit during the General Assembly will be an important moment, as well as a yearlong focusing mechanism, to help move the world toward a more sustainable model that addresses all these issues and more. Foreign Travel: Travel to Israel is subject to approval and limited to religious purposes. The great floods. The government may revoke registrations for violations of the law governing societies. Malaysia's political turmoil: Five things to know - Al Jazeera They performed hazardous duties and had no meaningful access to legal counsel in cases of contract violations and abuse. The officials were allegedly offered cash and women for sexual services to ignore the cartels activities. Refugees employed in the informal sector were paid lower wages than comparable employees and were vulnerable to exploitation. Malaysia in 2021 | Asian Survey | University of California Press The government may seize this land if it provides compensation. The Malaysian government has called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to find effective solutions to the Rohingya crisis, declaring itself unable to take any more Rohingya refugees.