On 23 September 2024, SEGi College Sarawak hosted a compelling session on human rights and statelessness, featuring Simon Siah, a director at Lawyer Kamek and a practising advocate of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. With an extensive background in human rights law, Siah has been instrumental in fighting for the rights of marginalised communities in Sarawak, particularly focusing on the stateless children in the region. As a partner at Messrs Simon Siah, Chua and Chow Advocates, he has successfully argued landmark human rights cases and has long been an advocate for social justice.
The session highlighted the urgent need for the re-establishment of a special task force to tackle the plight of stateless children, who remain in legal limbo through no fault of their own. While the task force, initially set up in 2016, has achieved some success—such as helping individuals like Rika Herline obtain identity cards—the broader issues remain unresolved. Despite assurances from the Federal Government regarding the establishment of standard operating procedures for citizenship applications, there has been a lack of concrete actions to address the situation.
Siah also called for Malaysia to fully incorporate Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into its national laws. This article mandates the immediate registration of all children born in Malaysia as nationals, which would ensure that children born on Malaysian soil are granted citizenship, without the need for a task force. By amending the constitution to reflect this article, Malaysia would strengthen its commitment to the rights of children, ensuring that no child is left stateless or deprived of their basic rights.
The event was a reminder of the importance of compassion and human dignity. The children affected by statelessness are not just numbers or statistics; they are individuals who deserve to be treated with care and respect. As a signatory to the UNCRC, Malaysia must align its laws to ensure that every child born within its borders is recognised as a citizen, thus protecting their future.
This event is organised in support of the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): SDG 4 – Quality Education
SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.