Minister pledges better treatment for undocumented migrant children
PARLIAMENT | Malaysia has pledged to improve the treatment of children detained together with undocumented migrants.
As Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told the Dewan Rakyat today, the government intends to allocate space in all immigration detention centres for these children...
PARLIAMENT | Malaysia has pledged to improve the treatment of children detained together with undocumented migrants.
As Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told the Dewan Rakyat today, the government intends to allocate space in all immigration detention centres for these children.
While agreeing that such children should not be arrested, Muhyiddin said they should still remain with their parents or guardians.
"I agree that there is a need to upgrade (the immigration detention centres), like in some other countries.
"We are in talks with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to start a pilot project, dubbed 'Alternative to Detention'," he said during Minister's Question Time, adding that the government would set aside a large allocation for the project.
Muhyiddin (photo) was responding to Maria Chin Abdullah (PKR-Petaling Jaya), who asked when the government would emulate other countries in providing alternative spaces to shelter the children of undocumented migrants.
The Home Ministry and Immigration Department came under fire recently for keeping two children, both under the age of two, in detention since June 14.
The children were taken into custody during a raid at Plaza Indah Apartment in Kajang, where they had been under the care of their relatives.
The NGO Tenaganita had claimed that the children’s mother was a Philippine national who held a valid Malaysian visa, but was not home at the time of the raid.
As the home minister told the Dewan, the Immigration Department acted against the Philippine national after receiving a complaint.
"The children were with their guardians when the arrest was made for allegedly breaching immigration offences.
"(They) were unable to contact their mothers," he said, adding they were brought back to Putrajaya Immigration Department for documentation.
"On June 15, they were placed at the detention centre in Bukit Jalil, which is equipped with facilities suitable for children, included beds, a playground and playroom, and a nursery."
According to Muhyiddin, the children were given back to their parents and subsequently sent home on July 3.
