The 15-day deficit: How Sabah’s shorter birth registration window is fuelling a statelessness crisis

KOTA KINABALU, June 30 — Advocates for Non-Discrimination and Access to Knowledge (Anak) Executive Director Anne Baltazar said unequal and complicated birth registration procedures, together with weak laws, are actively creating and deepening a crisis affecting thousands of children across Sabah.

She stressed the system drives statelessness, exclusion and serious vulnerability – hitting Indigenous communities and families in rural and remote parts of the State the hardest. 

While parents in Peninsular Malaysia have 60 days to register a birth, Sabah allows only 45 days.

Late registration requires additional approval from a Magistrate — an extra costly and time-consuming step that is nearly impossible for those living far inland or along border areas.

“Seven out of Malaysia’s 10 poorest districts for children are located in Sabah, where distance, poor roads and high transport costs already lock many families out,” she said.

“Statelessness here is no accident – it is systemic, built into procedures and legal gaps. It affects not only migrant groups, but also Indigenous children in remote areas whose families have lived here for generations, yet still remain without official papers,” Anne added. 

Findings show only 6.1pc of Sabah’s children surveyed meet basic standards for a safe living environment. 

Among undocumented children, just 0.6pc reach the minimum threshold for adequate healthcare.

“These gaps directly lead to low vaccination coverage – linked to the polio outbreak recorded in Sabah before the Covid-19 pandemic – and increase risks of exploitation, child labour and human trafficking,” Anne stressed.

Anak is calling for immediate, concrete reforms:

• Equalise birth registration periods across Malaysia;
• Remove Magistrate requirements for late registration;
• Expand mobile registration services to interior and border zones;
• Amend the Child Act 2001 to protect all children regardless of documentation status;
• End immigration detention of children; and
• Withdraw Malaysia’s remaining reservations to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“We are not just talking about paperwork – we are talking about survival, education and belonging,” Anne emphasised to policymakers. — Daily Express