Access To Justice of Citizenship Rights for Stateless Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Children In Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

As one of the countries that ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 which was subsequently promulgated into the Child Protection Act, Indonesia is still unsuccessful in protecting children. This mainly occurs in the context of protection illegal migrant workers’ children who were born in the country where their parents work. In Sarawak, Malaysia, for instance, there are 43,445 stateless children. This study aims to portray the stateless children in Sarawak, Malaysia, and the efforts of the Indonesian government to protect their right to access justice. This research is normative-qualitative with observations and in-depth interviews with consultant general staff and Indonesian volunteers In Sarawak as one of the main research methods. The results of this study indicate that stateless condition makes it possible for the children to get other rights, such as education. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has already made regulations and efforts to provide access to basic human rights for children of stateless migrant workers, including itsbat nikah abroad to legalize unregistered marriage among workers. However, it has not been fully successful because the problems are so complex that it needs to involve several parties, especially the Malaysian government, and plantation owners as employers of the migrant workers. Likewise, harder and more coordinated efforts are also needed to fulfill their citizenship right.