Civil group backs call to reactivate taskforce on ‘stateless’ children
KUCHING: Lawyer Kamek For Change (LK4C) supports the call by Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah for the immediate resumption of the special taskforce on ‘stateless’ children.
The civil society group points out that the taskforce is vital in helping the children in Sarawak, who are without personal documentation through no fault of theirs.
LK4C spokesman Simon Siah said the taskforce was formed in 2016 when the plight of stateless children like Rika Herline was first brought to public a ention. He viewed the measure as having had some success stories, including Rika who eventually obtained her identity card a er having struggled for many years.
“Although the taskforce, which was run ad hoc, could not solve the more serious issues at hand, there seems to be no other initiative from the federal government at the moment that is able to resolve the long-standing problems involving these stateless children.
“This issue has been raised by politicians from both divides. Despite promises from the Home Ministry that a standard operation procedure would be put in place, and to expedite the process of obtaining citizenship, there has been no announcement to the effect,” he said in a statement.
According to Siah, Malaysia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention of The Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
“We believe that it is high time that the government remove its reservation over Article 7 of the UNCRC and fully rectify Article 7 into our Malaysian Law, so that all children born in Malaysia must be registered immediately a er birth with their nationality as Malaysian.
“With the rectification of Article 7 of the UNCRC into our own constitution and our law, there would be no need for the taskforce any more as the National Registration Department would be empowered to give citizenship to children born in Malaysia,” he added.
Siah also called upon the government, in dealing with this ‘stateless’ issue, ‘ to look into the eyes of these children and treat them as human beings, capable of feelings and emotions’.
“Do not look at them as if they’re a bunch of statistics or removable trash. The livelihood of a child must be paramount. These children did not commit anything wrong when they were born under whatever circumstances,” he said.