Removal of Refugee Protections: Impact on Refugee Education, Mental Health, Coping, and Advocacy

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the removal of refugee protections on refugee education and mental health, in addition to the protective roles of advocacy, community, and religion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven Chin refugees from Myanmar who were refugee school leaders in Malaysia (mean age = 23; 57% female); we also interviewed four Malaysian citizens, with expertise in refugee education (mean age = 35; 100% female). We conducted follow-up interviews with five of the Chin participants. We found that (a) Chin refugees were deeply concerned about how removal of protections impacted refugee education, fears of refoulement, and the well-being of their refugee education community; (b) Logistical, community, and emotional support played a protective role; and (c) An unprecedented multi-step advocacy process by the Chin community contributed to successful reinstatement of their refugee protections, including protections for their refugee schools. Discussion addresses the importance of pre-consultation school research on policy impacts and advocacy with marginalized school communities prior to starting consultation, with a focus on how refugee community protective factors and advocacy can act as forms of resilience in the face of negative policy impacts on education and mental health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Refugees are defined as people who fled their home country across an international border due to conflict or persecution (UNHCR, 2021).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Colleen R. O’Neal

Colleen R. O'Neal, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of School Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park (Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education). Her primary research goals are to identify emotion-focused risk and resilience processes among immigrant and minoritized students with a focus on prevention.

Su Chen Tan

Su Chen Tan, Ph.D. is a Counseling Psychologist and researcher who has done adjunct teaching at Monash University, Malaysia. She has been a co-PI on the Resilient Refugee Consultation Intervention with refugee school teachers in Malaysia for 10 years.

Jasmine E. Parrott

Jasmine Parrott has been a tutor (instructor) in the Psychology department at HELP University, Malaysia, and she is on the path towards getting a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. She is current conducting research on the Resilient Refugee Consultation Intervention with refugee school teachers in Malaysia.

Shannon W. Martin

Shannon Martin, M.A. is a School Psychology doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park (Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education). Her primary research interest is racial bias and anti-racist actions among teachers.