Strengthening Human Rights Awareness among Children with Uncertain Citizenship Status through Community-Based Legal Education at Sanggar Bimbingan ‘Aisyiyah Kampung Pandan, Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/jphi.v9i2.58465Keywords:
Empirical Study, Human Rights, Legal Education, Malaysia, Citizenship Documentation UncertaintyAbstract
Malaysia's challenge with children holding unclear citizenship status is a significant human rights issue, especially in migrant communities that face barriers in getting legal identity documents. The absence of documentation does not necessarily imply uncertain citizenship. Still, uncertainty about nationality status may limit children’s access to basic rights such as education, health care, and legal recognition of identity. Sanggar Bimbingan ‘Aisyiyah Kg Pandan is a non-formal educational institution that is run through the network of the Muhammadiyah community in Malaysia, which provides learning for Indonesian migrant children, including those with uncertain citizenship documentation and legal identity. This study aims to study the socio-legal status of children with an uncertain citizenship status and to study the role of community-based legal education in increasing human rights awareness among migrant communities at Sanggar Bimbingan ‘Aisyiyah Kg. Pandan and PCIM Malaysia. The community engagement activities were carried out through the qualitative empirical approach. Field observation, semi-structured informal interviews, participatory engagement, and legal education sessions were used to collect data from children, educators, administrators, parents, and community representatives. The data were thematically analyzed for patterns of uncertainty of citizenship, access to rights, and awareness of human rights. Evaluation: Participants' involvement in the activities was evaluated qualitatively. The results show that there are approximately 30 Indonesian migrant children in Sanggar Bimbingan ‘Aisyiyah Kg. Pandan is not a clear citizen itself. The exact number of undocumented and stateless children in Malaysia is unknown but is thought to be in the tens of thousands. The findings also reveal that legal education and community engagement address issues of uncertain citizenship and human rights. The findings emphasize the significance of community legal education and institutionally collaborative approaches in tackling the problem of ambiguous citizenship and improving human rights protection for migrant children.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yordan Gunawan, Sonny Zulhuda, M. Fabian Akbar, Muhammad Raqi Pratama, Muhammad Iqbal , Arif Reksa Pambudi (Author)
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