Welcoming the move by the government to amend the Federal Constitution to give citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian women, Suhakam said there are many stateless children in the country who also need to be accorded the same rights.
“Suhakam urges the government to also address other statelessness issues involving adopted and foundling children in Malaysia, Orang Asli, natives of Sabah and Sarawak, children born out of wedlock or unregistered marriages, undocumented persons, and others,” it said in a statement.
Suhakam chairman Rahmat Mohamad said the statelessness issue faced by these children had caused them to face hardships such as limited access to basic services, including education and healthcare.
He added that the affected families also suffered greatly from emotional distress and social stigma.
Referring to the Cabinet decision on children born overseas to Malaysian women, he praised the government for ensuring that the human rights of Malaysians are recognised and protected, regardless of their gender and place of birth.
Rahmat said it was also in line with the country being a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
“Suhakam deeply appreciates the government’s commitment to upholding human rights and social justice in Malaysia and is ready to work together to ensure that this new decision is implemented effectively,” he said.
In a joint statement yesterday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the amendment is expected to be tabled in the current Dewan Rakyat sitting after fulfilling legal requirements.
The ministers said the proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution is to replace the word “whose father” in Part I and Part II of the Second Schedule with the words “at least one of the parents”.
As it stands, children born overseas to Malaysian women are not entitled to automatic citizenship as the Federal Constitution only provides for citizenship through fathers.
Putrajaya’s move was also lauded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Family Frontiers, a group that advocates for Malaysian mothers to be given the right to grant citizenship to their overseas-born children.