Seventy per cent of men and women asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia suffer symptoms
of anxiety, depression and stress due to human trafficking, forced labour and unemployment,
according to a non-governmental organisation.
The figure was three times higher than in any normal population, said the Dr Xavier Pereira, the
director of Health Equity and Initiatives (HEI).
He said the finding was based on a study done in March on 1,074 asylum seekers and refugees,
aged between 18 to 70 years.
“Both men and women are equally affected, especially those who are unemployed, involved in
human trafficking and forced labour,” he told reporters after the National Consultation of the
Health Dimensions of Human Trafficking and Forced Labour, here today.
He said that the study also showed that extreme symptoms of anxiety was more evident than both
depression and stress.
He added that the level of anxiety among asylum seekers were higher than the refugees.
This article was published in Bernama on 26 July 2011.
This article was published in the New Straits Times on 26 July 2011.
This article was published in the Star Online on 26 July 2011.