Despite ratifying the United Nation’s 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, the issue of stateless children continues to be rampant in Malaysia, particularly in Sabah, which has a large immigrant population from Mindanao in the Philippines, Indonesia and Afghanistan.

Dr Nur Anuar Abdul Muthalib, UNICEF Malaysia monitoring and evaluation officer says that Malaysia may have ratified the convention but when it comes to fulfilling the rights, in areas such as registration of children, birth rights and opportunities of education, “it is not 100% (fulfilled)”.

He says that lack of understanding of their rights and fear of deportation are among the main reasons why the problem of stateless children continues to persist. “Even though the government provides the facilities to be registered, some parents are not fully aware of the importance of birth registration,” he says. Geographical barriers further compound the problem, with groups on remote islands not having the means to travel to the mainland to be registered as it is costly to do so.

Fear of deportation exists among the immigrant population as some are illegal without proper documentation, despite being married to a local Sabahan. “The child has a right to be registered, but they’re not [being registered] because there is no marriage certificate… Having proper identification is key to obtaining necessities in life, whether it’s education or opening a bank account in future,” he says.

With a lack of education, stateless children are later exploited because they do not have the knowledge to uphold their rights and lack a proper identity – a “vicious cycle that leads to other problems as they grow up”. Anuar believes it is the government’s responsibility to extend help to the different marginalised groups – the indigenous communities such as the Bajau Laut, and plantation workers.

In the following interview, Anuar also talks about UNICEF's plans to provide alternative education to stateless children in Sabah, the problem of insufficient data as well as what Malaysia stands to lose if the problem is left unaddressed.

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