Over 1.1k children repatriated this year - home minister

The Immigration Department has repatriated 1,178 children in the first nine months of this year, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

That number comprised 681 boys and 497 girls, he said, adding that adult detainees who were repatriated comprised 24,542 men and 8,087 women.

“Between Jan 1 and Sept 30, the Immigration Department recorded a total number of 33,807 detainees repatriated from all (20) immigration depots nationwide.

“Indonesians make up the largest number of detainees (repatriated) at 14,583 or 43.1 percent,” Saifuddin said.

The minister said this in a written reply to Tan Hong Pin (Harapan-Bakri).

Tan asked in Parliament for a breakdown of repatriated migrants according to age, sex, citizenship, and refugee status.

Last September, the Home Ministry introduced Baitul Mahabbah temporary settlements to house migrant children while they wait to be deported to their country of origin.

Saifuddin said at the time that the children were transferred there from Immigration depots to protect them as stated in the Child Act 2001 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Refugee status

Meanwhile, the minister in his response to Tan did not reveal the number of UN card holders among the detained migrants.

Malaysia is not party to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and so migrants accorded refugee status will still be subjected to immigration crackdowns.

“Detainees who possess a valid UNHCR card will be referred to the agency for verification and subsequently released into its (UNHCR’s) custody.

“Confirmation (of refugee status) from UNHCR is done as a measure to ensure that each repatriation does not go against the principle of non-refoulement,” he said.

The non-refoulement principle prohibits countries from returning individuals to a country where there is a risk of persecution, torture, inhumane treatment, or other human rights violations.

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