Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that as of Aug 31, 2,196 children were detained, making up 11% of the 20,143 undocumented migrants currently in custody at 18 immigration depots and two temporary facilities.

The latest figure of 2,196 children indicates a sharp rise from the last available figures from the home ministry, which said in 2023 that there were more than 1,300 children held in immigration depots in that year and also in 2022.

In February 2023, Saifuddin said children detained at immigration depots would soon be removed from the depots and placed in the care of child welfare organisations.

“Very soon, I will bring them out,” he had said.

Saifuddin today noted that 273 children and female guardians have been moved to six Baitul Mahabbah centres, which he said had “safer and more humane” facilities designed to protect vulnerable groups.

“These placements aim to ensure the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of these vulnerable groups in accordance with humanitarian principles and international standards, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).”

He said the management of depots follows “widely recognised minimum standards”, including the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, even though Malaysia is not legally bound by them.

These standards cover dignity, non-discrimination, access to food and water, contact with the outside world, and inquiries into deaths in custody.

Human Rights Watch reported in March 2024 that detainees in immigration depots, including children, face overcrowding, filthy cells, poor medical care, and indefinite detention, based on interviews and leaked photos.