1,455 stateless kids at shelter – dept

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KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Welfare Department is assisting the Federal Special Task Force (FSTF) in looking after the welfare of stateless children that are housed at its Rumah Pelindungan Ehsan, according to the department’s Children’s Department Unit assistant director Mohd Azan Hussin.

He said the Welfare Department has 1,455 children between the ages of six and 18 being housed at the temporary facility now.

They comprise 1,119 males and 336 females, he told the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants yesterday, adding that 641 of these children were of Suluk descent, 556 of Bajau descent and the rest are of other nationalities including Tator, Butun, Kagayan and Pakistani.

Those aged between 15 and 18 made up the highest number of 902 staying at the FSTF’s welfare protection home, he said, adding that 205 of them are aged between six and 12, while the remaining 348 are 13 and 14-year-olds.

Mohd Azan said these children are categorized as stateless because they were not able to produce any identification documents when they were picked up by enforcement agencies.

“There are two categories of stateless children, those who have parents but are loitering and living in public areas and those who do not have parents or guardians and are loitering as well as living in public areas,” he said.

He said the Welfare Department helped out with the provision of education, clothing, schooling materials and personal hygiene products for the children who are housed at Rumah Perlindungan Ehsan.

Officers from the department would also carry out interviews with the children to gather information on their bio-data and background and if there were any doubts as to the information, they would refer the matter to FSTF, he said.

Asked why there were stateless children, Mohd Azan said based on his experience, they were the product of mixed marriages and their parents did not register their births.

“Some of these children are also those who had entered the state illegally with their parents or guardians and therefore do not have any valid travel or identification documents,” he said, adding that there were social implications as a result of the presence of stateless children such as them not getting any formal education and being exploited as child labour.

“Based on my discussions with officers from other agencies, some of these children also become beggars and in the long run they can bring bigger problems to the state and country,” he said.

When asked to explain what he meant by bigger problems, Mohd Azan said as these children did not have an education or identification documents, they would have problems getting jobs when they are adults.

“They may get involved in criminal activities and will also have problems getting married legally,” he said.

To a question from Commissioner Tan Sri Herman Luping on what happened to them when they turn 19, Mohd Azan said he was informed by FSTF that if they were not ‘claimed’ by their families, they would be transferred to the Temporary Detention Centre for adults.