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LK4c demands SOP made to resolve stateless children issue

By October 31, 2020 April 15th, 2021 No Comments

LAWYER KAMEK 4 CHANGE

No 311, 2nd Floor Maong Bazaar, Forever Building,

Jalan Abell, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lk4c.org


PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

26th OCTOBER 2020

 

I refer to the report in Borneo Post on the 23rd of October 2020 where the Honourable Minister of Welfare, Community Well-being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah has again make the call for the special task force for stateless children to be brought back.

Lawyer Kamek for Change (LK4C) supports this call for the special task force for the stateless children to be brought back immediately to continue to assist children in Sarawak who are caught in this limbo not due to their own fault.

The task force which was first formed in 2016 when the plight of stateless children like Rika Herline was first brought to the public attention had seen some success stories where stateless children like Rika eventually obtain her identity card after many years of struggles.

Although the ad hoc initiative could not solve the bigger issues at hand, at the moment, there seem to be no other initiative from the Federal Government in resolving this long standing and recurring problems facing these stateless children.

The issue of stateless children has been raised by politicians from both political divides. Despite promises from the Home Ministry that a standard operation procedures will be put in place and to expedite the process to obtain citizenship, there has been no announcement to the effect.

As Malaysia is a signatory to The United Nation Convention of The Rights of the Child, we believe that it is high time that the government to remove their 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 after birth with their nationality as a Malaysian. With the rectification of Article 7 of the UNCRC into our own constitution and our law, there will be no need for the task force anymore as the national registration department are empowered to give citizenship for children born in Malaysia.

When dealing with the issue of stateless children, we urge the government to look into the eyes of these children and treat them as HUMAN BEING capable of FEELINGS and EMOTION. Do not look at them as if they are a bunch of statistics or removable trash. The livelihood of a child MUST BE PARAMOUNT. Remember, these children did not commit any wrong when they were born in whatever circumstances and it is up to us as Malaysians to show compassion and love to these innocent children who God has gifted them to our State.

 

Simon Siah

Lawyer Kamek 4 Change

(LK4C)

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