KOTA KINABALU: A new study by the United Nations (UN) Country Team in Malaysia on undocumented people in Sabah with focus on children, is expected to lead to policy recommendations that will be presented to the state government.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Representative to Malaysia, Marianne Clark- Hattingh said the study led by the United Nations Development Programme here, is expected to be completed by the second quarter of next year.
It will complement another study on poverty that is focused in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan, she told reporters after leading a courtesy call from Unicef Malaysia to the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
“Undocumented (people) is a complex issue and we want to be able to come up with policy recommendations as well as develop a platform for solutions to address the matter.
“We will also engage the Institute for Development Studies Sabah (IDS), where recommendations coming out from that study will then be presented to Datuk Seri (Shafie) and other ministers concerned,” said Clark-Hattingh.
She said she was optimistic these issues would no longer be merely seen as a security matter as was done in the past.
“We have not seen improvement, but we are encouraged by the Chief Minister’s willingness to address this issue. This must be seen as a human rights issue and development issue and not just a security issue.
“When you look at it through an economic standpoint, these (undocumented) children have no access to education and you perpetuate a cycle of poverty.
“It is missed opportunities for them. But now there is an opportunity to make a difference and give these children a chance to develop to their full potential.”
She said one big step is to recognise the various learning centres set up to help these stateless children and to find ways to legalise and improve the quality of the education there.
On another question, Clark-Hattingh said the meeting with Shafie also touched on the child marriage issue.
“We support any effort to study and address the issue in the state. We are re-emphasizing that 18 should be the minimum age of marriage.
“But having legislation for that alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by other measures such as support to ensure young people could finish their secondary education, sexual reproductive health education, and make communities and families be aware of the adverse effects of child marriage, especially on girls.
She said there must be a social protection system for vulnerable children, including school dropouts. These teens should be aware that marriage was not a solution to resolve teen pregnancies or poverty,” she said.
Asked on how Shafie responded to this topic, she said the chief minister was receptive and expressed a need to deliberate on the matter to find solutions, which Unicef was willing to support.