Reaching Stateless, Undocumented and Migrant Communities
two individuals in the state capital city of Kota Kinabalu and followed their lives
for three weeks. Weekly (distanced) interviews were conducted to gain a better
understanding of their lives prior to the pandemic, during the pandemic, and their
prospective plans. Between interviews, the participants photo-journaled elements
of their daily lives during COVID-19.
Figure 3: Community photo-journaling provides intimate insight into the
everyday experiences of legally marginalised families during the pandemic. This
photograph was taken by a migrant father, who built an outdoor sink for his
family members to wash their hands before entering their home.
ANAK also conducted mobile-based focus group dialogues among key
demographic groups within the targeted communities: youth, women, men and the
elderly. Groups of five persons representing each of these demographics were
convened using WhatsApp, a mobile phone-based instant messaging platform.
Participants discussed their knowledge and awareness about COVID-19,
perceptions and understandings about government policies and from where
participants sourced their information. This information was crucial for
developing ANAK’s online content, including infographics and videos.
C
The Impacts of COVID-19 on Stateless and Legally Marginalised
Communities in Sabah
Based on ANAK’s experiences providing emergency aid to communities on the
ground and the information collected through social listening mechanisms, the
authors identify a number of particular challenges and vulnerabilities experienced
by stateless and legally marginalised families during the early months of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Sabah.
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