Monthly Archives: January 2026

KUALA LUMPUR (29 JANUARY 2026) – The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) welcomes the Concluding Remarks of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) following Malaysia’s recent review under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. SUHAKAM notes the Committee’s recognition of Malaysia’s progress in several areas, while underscoring that persistent gaps continue to impede the full realisation of children’s rights and require urgent, coordinated and time-bound action.

SUHAKAM commends the Government for positive measures acknowledged by the CRC, including improvements in maternal and child health outcomes, expanded preventive interventions, and institutional efforts to strengthen child-related policies and services. SUHAKAM also notes the constructive engagement demonstrated by the Government during the review process, reflecting an openness to dialogue and reform. These developments represent important steps forward. However, as emphasised by the CRC, progress remains uneven and must be consolidated through structural and legislative reforms to ensure that no child is left behind.

In line with its long-standing positions and the Committee’s concluding remarks, SUHAKAM highlights six critical and priority actions requiring immediate attention:

• Withdrawal of Reservations

SUHAKAM reiterates its constant call for the withdrawal of Malaysia’s remaining reservations to the Convention. Their continued maintenance is no longer consistent with Malaysia’s legal and institutional maturity. SUHAKAM urges the Government to expedite and meaningfully conclude the review process initiated in 2017, in line with the Committee’s clear one-year timeframe.

• Harmonisation of Domestic Laws

SUHAKAM calls for the acceleration of law reform to ensure full harmonisation of domestic legislation with the Convention and its General Comments. This must be supported by a coordinated national mechanism with clear leadership, accountability and timelines, prioritising General Comment No. 24 and evidence-based policy development.

• Child Protection and the Child Justice System

SUHAKAM emphasises the need to strengthen child protection systems, including a robust and rights-based approach to alternative care, ensuring that institutionalisation is used strictly as a measure of last resort. SUHAKAM reiterates for the urgent need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Institutional Care for Children to uncover the complexities of the different authorities managing the insitutions in order to eliminate the systemic issues confronting children in such care and to identify the root causes of the lack of monitoring and supervision of these institutions. The child justice system must be fully aligned with the Convention’s standards and supported by a transparent, professional and accountable child protection workforce.

• ⁠Refugee, Migrant and Undocumented Children

SUHAKAM reiterates its consistent position that refugee, migrant and undocumented children must not be excluded from protection frameworks. Concrete measures are required to include these children within national systems and to ensure access to essential services, including education and social protection. In this context, SUHAKAM highlights the need to progressively realise universal health coverage for all children, regardless of nationality or legal status, and to remove systemic barriers that result in deprivation. SUHAKAM further reiterates its call for the urgent implementation of non-custodial alternatives, the ending of immigration detention of children, and amendments to the Immigration Act to ensure compliance with the Convention’s standards.

• Fiscal Space and Child-Focused Budgeting

As Malaysia advances towards high-income status amid rapid demographic change, SUHAKAM stresses that adequate and sustainable investment in children remains a core human rights obligation. SUHAKAM calls for child-targeted and gender-responsive budgeting, systematic tracking of child-related expenditure, and analysis of investment adequacy against child outcomes to ensure that resource allocation translates into tangible improvements in children’s well-being.

• ⁠Reporting under the Optional Protocols and the CRPD

SUHAKAM urges the Government to expedite the submission of overdue reports under the Optional Protocols, including the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC). This is essential to Malaysia’s commitment to international accountability and full compliance with its treaty obligations, and should be undertaken in a manner that reflects the cross-cutting and indivisible human rights principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, read together with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), thereby ensuring that gender equality and the rights of children with disabilities are fully and systematically addressed.

SUHAKAM further affirms that since the legal incorporation of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) under SUHAKAM, the OCC has been funded solely through SUHAKAM’s existing budget, without any additional allocation from the Government. This institutional arrangement is important in safeguarding the independence of the OCC, as SUHAKAM is Malaysia’s National Human Rights Institution accredited with ‘A’ status under the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and operating in accordance with the Paris Principles. SUHAKAM also acknowledges that the CRC has raised questions regarding the adequacy and sustainability of funding for the OCC. While the current arrangement reflects SUHAKAM’s commitment to strengthening oversight, monitoring, and advocacy for children’s rights, the existing level of funding is not adequate to support the expanded scope of responsibilities arising from the OCC’s statutory mandate. As SUHAKAM continues to expand its presence nationwide and children have become a key demographic requiring focused and sustained engagement, the effective discharge of the OCC’s functions necessitates commensurate and sustainable resourcing.

SUHAKAM recognises the progress achieved by the Government while emphasising that sustained political will and decisive action are required to fully implement the CRC’s recommendations. SUHAKAM remains committed to constructive engagement with the Government, Parliament and all stakeholders to ensure that children’s rights are fully respected, protected and fulfilled in Malaysia.                           

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Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
29 January 2026

KUALA LUMPUR (23 JANUARY 2026) – The Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC), Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) welcomes the introduction of the National Education Plan (RPM) 2026–2035 as a strategic continuation of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025. In general, OCC views the RPM as a positive and progressive step towards improving the quality of education, addressing systemic inequities, and prioritising the well-being of children.

OCC acknowledges the direction of the RPM, which no longer focuses solely on access, but instead, places emphasis on the quality of education, equity and student well-being. This approach is important because truly meaningful education is not merely about ensuring that children attend school, but about ensuring that they learn effectively in a safe, supportive environment that enables their development.

OCC also welcomes the emphasis on the concept of “Insan Sejahtera”, which encompasses academic achievement alongside character development, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. This approach is consistent with a holistic child rights framework and reflects an understanding that educational success should not be measured solely through examination outcomes.

OCC commends the Ministry of Education Malaysia’s (MOE) commitment towards inclusive education, particularly efforts to strengthen support for Students with Special Educational Needs, students in rural and remote areas, Orang Asli children, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. The principle of ensuring that no child is left behind is clearly articulated within the policy framework.

OCC further commends MOE’s openness in acknowledging existing challenges, including Malaysia’s performance in international assessments such as PISA and TIMSS, urban–rural disparities, and upper secondary school dropout rates. Such transparency is an important foundation for evidence-based and effective policy reform.

However, OCC stresses that the true success of the RPM 2026–2035 will ultimately depend on its consistent and effective implementation, particularly in ensuring the protection and fulfilment of children’s right to education. While the Blueprint presents a strong vision and policy framework, clearer mechanisms are required to safeguard educational rights. OCC reiterates that children are not merely beneficiaries of policy, but they are the rights holders, in line with Malaysia’s obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Therefore, clearer explanations are needed on how students’ right to education will be protected, monitored, and enforced when targets are not met at the school or district level.

OCC further emphasises that upper secondary school dropout should be addressed as a child rights concern rather than solely as an enrolment issue. Each instance of dropout reflects a systemic failure to adequately protect a child’s right to education. OCC urges for a more targeted and rights-sensitive interventions to be developed for children at higher risk, including those living in poverty, children in remote areas, children engaged in labour, those at risk of early marriage, and children without documentation or with unclear legal status.

With regard to inclusive education, OCC notes that gaps remain in infrastructure and physical accessibility, particularly for children with disabilities. Where schools are not disability-friendly, children may be indirectly excluded from accessing education on an equal basis. OCC calls on the MOE to set clear, measurable timelines to upgrade schools to be accessible for children with disabilities, alongside more comprehensive and sustained training for educators in inclusive education.

OCC is also of the view that children’s voices remain insufficiently represented within education governance structures. Meaningful, safe and continuous mechanisms for children to express their views, experiences and concerns are essential to ensure that education policies are responsive to realities on the ground and truly child-centred.

At the same time, OCC underscores that the well-being of teachers and school counsellors is integral to the realisation of students’ right to education. Excessive non-pedagogical workload, high counsellor-to-student ratios and work-related stress can adversely affect the quality of support provided to students. Investment in the welfare of educators is therefore an investment in the present and future of children.

In conclusion, OCC welcomes the RPM 2026–2035 as an important step towards a more inclusive, equitable and future-oriented education system. Nevertheless, strong policy commitments must be accompanied by implementation that is firmly grounded in child rights principles. The ultimate measure of success of the RPM lies not in policy documents or numerical targets, but in its ability to ensure that no child is left behind, marginalised or denied their right to education, particularly those most at risk.

OCC stands ready to engage constructively with the MOE and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of the RPM 2026–2035 delivers meaningful and lasting improvements to the lives and future of all children in Malaysia.

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Dr Farah Nini Dusuki

Chief Children’s Commissioner

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)

23 January 2026.

KUALA LUMPUR (10 JANUARY 2026) – The Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) welcomes the announcement by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers will automatically obtain Malaysian citizenship by June or July 2026.

This announcement follows the passage of the Federal Constitution (Amendment) Bill on citizenship provisions in October 2024 and marks a significant step forward in addressing long-standing inequalities affecting children’s right to nationality.

While welcoming this development, it is disheartening that the amendment is non-retrospective. In view of this, children born before the implementation date must continue to be accorded Malaysian citizenship through registration under Article 15(2) of the Federal Constitution. No child should be disadvantaged due to delays in the law’s implementation.

The OCC also notes with appreciation the substantial reduction in the backlog of citizenship applications, from approximately 50,000 cases to fewer than 4,000 since the start of the Home Minister’s term in 2022, including cases raised by the OCC. This reflects meaningful progress in administrative reform.

The OCC further notes that the amended Citizenship Regulations 1964 are expected to be rolled out in tandem with the implementation of the constitutional amendment. In this regard, the OCC urges that the amended Regulations be made publicly accessible, procedures simplified, and clear SOPs established to ensure applicants have access to track the progress of their applications and receive written reasons for any rejection.

To ensure effective implementation, the OCC calls for a clear public communication strategy, including nationwide outreach, as well as comprehensive training for front-line officers, particularly at Malaysian embassies and diplomatic missions abroad.

The OCC remains committed to working with the Government to ensure that no child is left without nationality, in accordance with the Federal Constitution and Malaysia’s international human rights obligations.

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Dr Farah Nini Dusuki

Chief Children’s Commissioner

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)

10 January 2026.