By Dr Rabi’ah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat

STATELESS children or undocumented children is a long-standing issue worldwide. In recent years, the trend of stateless children has shown to be increasing. According to UNHCR, a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law is defined as stateless.

And for children, statelessness is even scarier: in most cases they are both invisible and vulnerable. A child can be stateless for many reasons.

In Malaysia, children became stateless mostly because the birth was not registered by the parents, they were abandoned by their parents, or they were born overseas to a foreign father (only their mother holds citizenship).

In 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs reported statistics of more than 300,000 stateless children in the country, with 1 in every 5 of them is without a birth certificate.

Stateless children need to own a formal identification document (ID) in order for them to be “visible and recognised”. Without an ID, they cannot claim any rights or enjoy any benefit in the country they live in.

Stateless children can be denied access to subsidized healthcare, formal education, and other governmental aid. As they grow older, they have no opportunities to enrol in higher education, legal employment, voting rights or to move freely.

Moreover, these children are vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation, including being subjected to forced labour, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.

In Malaysia, a citizen holds a formal ID known as an identity card (IC) issued by the Department of National Registration (JPN). Stateless children have to undergo a certain procedure that was imposed by JPN in order to obtain a similar verified ID.

One of the steps to obtain a formal ID is to verify the age of a child. This is the step in which a forensic dentist will be involved. A forensic dentist is responsible for providing an estimated age to a stateless child referred to them by the Department of Social Welfare or the Police Department under the Court order.

Forensic dentists will calculate the correct age of these stateless children before sending it to the Court.

A forensic dentist who is approached by one of these enforcement authorities has to give a justified age for a stateless child. Dental age can be calculated based on the teeth development of a child using an established age estimation method.

The teeth will be assessed thoroughly based on a dental x-ray such as a dental panoramic radiograph. In Malaysia, we follow population-specific data when performing an age estimation of a child. Dental age is used because it is the biological age that is most closely related to our actual age.

Unlike the skeleton, the development of teeth is barely affected by our diet, socioeconomic or environmental factors. Surprisingly, the majority of us may not be aware of this, and may assume that there is no chance for stateless children to have an accurate birth date.

The predicament of stateless children in Malaysia is a pressing concern that requires immediate attention, because it may have far-reaching implications for the nation as a whole. When a substantial portion of the population is denied access to quality education and healthcare, it hampers their ability to reach their full potential.

This is not just an individual tragedy but also a national loss.

By addressing the issue of statelessness among children, Malaysia can unlock the latent potential of countless talented individuals who can contribute to the nation’s progress. In addition, it helps create a more inclusive and harmonious society, reducing the risk of social and economic disparities.

Supporting these stateless children in obtaining legal documentation and access to education not only safeguards their rights but also strengthens the nation’s human capital, fostering a brighter future for all.

Hence, it is important for every one of us to realise that there is a way for stateless children to be ‘’seen’’. Stateless children also deserve to be granted a birth date. Remember that children are the future of our country.

So, it is crucial to give them an opportunity to grow in a healthy and encouraging environment with sufficient basic needs and support from the Government.

In conjunction with World Children’s Day, let us all keep the conversation about stateless children going. Malaysia, a nation with a diverse and dynamic population, stands to benefit immensely from the contributions of every child, regardless of their background.

Perhaps one day, each and every one of them will get a chance to celebrate their birthday properly, by knowing their exact birthdate determined by a forensic dentist.

_{The author is a Forensic Odontologist Specialist at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, and may be reached at rabiahadaw@um.edu.my}