MIRI – Sarawak’s Women, Community Wellbeing and Children Development Ministry has offered to help secure temporary documents that will allow stateless children to obtain education and medical treatment.
State minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said her ministry is willing to help secure temporary documents from the state government while the affected children go through the process of getting birth certificates and MyKid/MyKad from the National Registration Department.
She added that temporary documents from the Sarawak government will allow stateless kids to attend government schools and to obtain medical treatment at government hospitals and clinics.
“No school in Sarawak should force stateless kids to stop schooling simply because of issues relating to personal documents like birth certificates and identity cards.
“They must be allowed to be in school and to continue their lessons in class while their parents or guardians sort out problems with their personal documents.
“Forcing these stateless kids out of schools is not going to help them at all.”
She told The Vibes that she is aghast to hear of such a case in the Belaga district, located in central Sarawak, adding that she wanted more details on the case that was reported on December 10.
The Vibes had reported that a group of 30 children from a remote settlement called Long Singut, aged between six to 12, have been allegedly forced to stop classes after it was found that they were stateless and did not possess personal documents.
A group of community volunteers are now teaching these kids on their own as the children can no longer go to school, said Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Abun Sui.
He added that such woes afflicting Sarawakian children without personal documents are widespread.
“Such cases are not just (found) in the Belaga district, but also in many parts of the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency and other remote places in Sarawak.”
It was previously estimated there could be at least 60,000 Sarawakians who are still stateless without personal documents. – The Vibes, December 14, 2022
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