Caritas addresses the issues around migration directly. It works to advise and protect all migrants – men, women and children – to prevent trafficking and abuse. Caritas advocates for the rights of domestic workers – who are often migrants – and for proper legal protection for all people who move to find work and security.
Malaysia’s resources and strategic location have made our country a major destination and a transit country for trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, with migrants often falling prey to unscrupulous recruiters which leaves them stranded and undocumented.
“I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you clothed me.”
Migrant labourers on farms or construction sites may be overworked and underpaid; domestic workers may face physical and sexual abuse, and child migrants may be kept out of school and taken advantage of. The risks facing migrants are many.
Some are tricked by people they trust. They are sold into slavery or prostitution or fall prey to organised criminal gangs. Migrants can also be abused by law enforcement authorities and employment agencies.
Caritas supports migrants, upholds their rights, and helps them live in dignity. It advocates for better legislation to protect them.
Through our parish, Caritas provides medical, shelters, legal help and job training for migrants. Caritas ensures that migrants are aware of the risks before they leave home and know how to get help afterwards.
The love of God in us is witnessed to by our willingness to lay down our lives for others as Christ did for us. 1 John 3:16-18
We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that “if you want peace, work for justice.”1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
Caritas is the charitable arm of the Roman Catholic Church. It is to spearhead the church’s social mission, to respond to humanitarian crisis, promote integral human development and advocate on the causes of poverty and violence.
Caritas Penang comes under the jurisdiction of The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang.
© 2022 Caritas – Diocese of Penang. All Right Reserved.
