Conference

20/11 2005
"Regional Conference on stateless/undocumented Children in Sabah"
Dear All,
We have just been part of a big 3 day conference arranged by Tenaganita of Malaysia trying to find answers to the pressing questions about what should be done for the more than 10,000 stateless/undocumented children in Sabah, of which we have 3,000 in our Children's Houses.

1) The conference participants were besides from the active ladies of Tenaganita, a number of local and regional NGOs and Church organisation as well as most of the relevant government agencies, such as the immigration department, the Federal Special Task Force, the Health Department, The National Registration Department, The Sabah Commisioner for SUHAKAM, Malaysias Human Rights Commision was there and furthermore representatives from the Philippine Embassy and from the Indonesian General Consulate and also the UNHCR and UNICEF.

2) Of the organisations Borneo Child Aid/Humana Child Aid Society was the organisation with "hands on" the problem of caring for these children. We were also the only organisation, which actually brought 2 children to the conference.
We were as such the only organisation presenting a part solution to the problem of the thousands of stateless/undocumented children.
At the fine start of the conference, where our two child participants initiated by lighting a candle for each member and giving their story, and further after our presentation on thursday, we were almost overwhelmed with the positive response from the other participants in the conference for our work .
The presentation of the Children's Houses was also a contrast to the more academic discussions, which probably is a necessary part of such a conference. It cut right to the bone in our pictural demonstration of how education for these children can be achieved with very few means and at very low cost. Our comparison of the price of having one child in school in Denmark to the price of running an entire small school for 50 or more of these children (RM 1250), showing that the first is considerably costlier, hit home.
Also the pictures of our children performing and in their uniforms took away the tendency to look at the undocumented children as a menace. Suddenly even a few local anti-immigrant representatives' voices started talking with some degree of respect about the children.
3) Results from the conference:
The conference recommended that a task force, comprising government and NGO representatives should be formed, and that the children should be given a legal status, which they do not have now (since plantation labourers are not supposed to marry and have children). This will depend on the local government taking up the invitation.
The conference decided to form a "Undocumented Children Network for Sabah", which means that we will maintain an unoffical contact between all parties. This was taken up very positively by the members, and can eventually result in the forming of a Children's Right Organisation in Sabah, which there is none of now (except for us). This we will of course participate actively in.

All the three major newspapers in Sabah carried articles about the conference in which our work was highlighted and the two children's stories were told. Borneo Child Aid/Humana Child Aid Society Sabah been exposed as never before.

It has been a good experience also to see that we, besides from you, have other allies in wanting to do something for these children.

Yours Sincerely

Torben Venning info@borneochildaid.org
Project Manager Borneo Child Aid/Humana Child Aid Society Sabah



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