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4 January 2023
KUALA LUMPUR (3 FEBRUARY 2023) – The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) is gravely concerned with the conditions and welfare of the 36 children which are currently placed at the Lenggeng Immigration Depot following the arrest of 67 Indonesian migrants by the Immigration Department after a wee early hours raid conducted at a settlement in Nilai Spring on 1 February 2023.
While mindful of the immigration duty to enforce the immigration law, SUHAKAM would like to stress Malaysia’s obligation to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) in securing the best interest of the children.
In this respect, SUHAKAM calls for immediate counselling support to be provided to these children by the authorities concerned. It is also hoped that the authority will respond to the short-term needs of the affected children. The vulnerability and sensitivity of children should always be prioritised in any immigration policy decisions. The early hours of the morning raid may have a profound effect on the children’s mental state.
SUHAKAM also recommends that the Government execute the Alternative to Detention (ATD) program which has been approved by Cabinet as a solution to temporarily house the children in a place that is safe and conducive to the health and well-being of the children while waiting for their immigration status to be determined.
SUHAKAM support the Malaysian Government’s recent initiative to extend the Labour Recalibration Programme 2.0 that regularises undocumented migrants as legal foreign workers in the economic sector of our country. The initiative with the collaboration of the Indonesian government is viewed as a progressive move to resolve the long-standing immigration issues in Malaysia. #
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Rahmat Mohamad
Chairman
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
3 February 2023
