PETALING JAYA: Enhanced integrated verification procedures between hospitals and the National Registration Department (NRD) could minimise the risk of fraudulent birth registrations, says a non-governmental organisation.
Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas Malaysia (DHRRA) social protection director Maalini Ramalo said this can be done by ensuring that all births recorded in hospitals are directly linked to the NRD’s database.
However, she said there might be limitations in rural areas and monitoring of children born at home or clinics.
“As such, we should carry out nationwide public awareness campaigns about legal adoption procedures and the risks associated with engaging in illegal practices.
“We can also encourage community reporting if there are suspected illegal adoption activities, and provide appropriate reporting channels.
“Implementing these measures can significantly reduce the risk of baby-selling syndicates exploiting the birth registration system, ensuring that the rights and welfare of children are safeguarded,” she said in an interview.
Maalini said this in response after a syndicate was busted for using forged documents to register undocumented children, some of whom may have been smuggled from overseas.
Over the past three years, the syndicate allegedly had registered 80 fraudulent birth certificates through the NRD, falsely declaring undocumented children as Malaysians using fake documents.
The syndicate’s operations were exposed through NRD’s internal investigations, prompted by officers who suspected something amiss in late birth registrations.
Following this, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it will analyse processes within the NRD with 16 suspects arrested for bribery related to birth registration.
According to Maalini, the true victims are the children who have lost their citizenship.
While steps are being taken to address these wrongdoings, these children remain in limbo, trapped in statelessness with no answers and little to no access to reclaim their rightful nationality, she said.
“One of the biggest contributors to childhood statelessness in Malaysia is when children discover that their birth certificates were unlawfully obtained and reissued with ‘Bukan Warganegara’ status.
“This is common among childless Malaysian parents who have adopted these children – either unknowingly bypassing proper procedures or relying on intermediaries to handle the process.
“So, there is a lack of awareness among people and the other often overlooked factor is the involvement of NRD officers as well as middlemen who manipulate the system, exacerbating the problem,” Maalini said.
OrphanCare Trustee Noraini Hashim said the baby racket could not exist without the complicity of government officials, local authorities and hospitals or clinics.
These baby-selling rings work with certain hospitals and clinics to obtain documents that would show the child as the biological offspring of the adopted parents, she added.
She said advocacy on adoption via the right channels must be increased through a strict identification and verification process to ensure transparency, adding it includes the foster care system.
“We have to work closely with law enforcement and other regulatory bodies to ensure these procedures are consistently followed.
“We can implement data security and tracking systems to monitor the movement and care of every child in their programmes to prevent unauthorised transfers or disappearances.”
Ultimately, Noraini said there must be a stronger legal framework and advocacy of child protection, as well as the enforcement of laws against child trafficking and illegal adoptions.
It includes pushing for stiffer penalties for those involved in illegal baby trade networks and improving the legal procedures for adoption, she said.
