Human Rights Day Forum 2025, held under the theme “Protecting Our Future Generations: Human Rights for All”, was co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister’s Department, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), and the United Nations in Malaysia, in conjunction with Human Rights Day. The forum featured a panel discussion titled “Children’s Rights in Malaysia: From Commitments to Monitoring and Accountability”.
The session was moderated by Ms. Siti Najihah Md Rusli from UNICEF Malaysia and brought together key stakeholders across institutions, including Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, Chief Children’s Commissioner of SUHAKAM; Mr. Thiyagu Ganesan, Deputy Director General (Law Reform), Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department (BHEUU); Ms. Jessie Lee Jie Xing, Member of the Children’s Consultative Council (2025–2027); YA Datin Paduka Evrol Mariette Peters, Judge of the Court of Appeal; YB Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera; and Mr. Asmar Asmadi Bin Abdullah Sani, Undersecretary at the Policy and Strategic Planning Division of the Ministry of Women, Community and Family Development.
The panel highlighted how different institutions play distinct yet interconnected roles within Malaysia’s child rights framework. SUHAKAM, through the Children’s Consultative Council, serves as a central platform for receiving complaints, conducting visits, advising the government, and promoting children’s rights, with an emphasis on placing the child’s voice at the core of its work.
Parliament, meanwhile, was described as carrying out a duty of care for a group that cannot vote or formally complain, exercising its role through law-making, budget allocation, and oversight.
The courts contribute through adjudication, interpretation of legislation involving children, and ongoing supervisory roles in family matters, while policy bodies and ministries are responsible for translating commitments into legal reforms, national action plans, and coordinated implementation across agencies.
While these institutions and mechanisms are in place, the discussion repeatedly returned to a critical question: how meaningfully are children involved in shaping the laws, policies, and systems that affect their lives? Panelists stressed that child participation must go beyond consultation for formality’s sake.
Children are rights-holders, not merely beneficiaries, and their perspectives provide insights that adults often overlook. When children are excluded from discussions on the basis that policies are “too complicated,” decision-makers risk silencing those most directly impacted. Meaningful participation requires safe spaces, accessible information, inclusive approaches for children with disabilities, and a genuine willingness by adults to listen. “Listening to them is not symbolic, it is the most honest way to protect their rights and shape a future that works,” YB Syerleena asserts.
Looking ahead, panelists emphasised that effective monitoring of children’s rights must be systemic rather than reactive. Data, complaints, court findings, and feedback from children should inform policy reforms and institutional practices.
Accountability, they noted, depends on clear legal frameworks, sufficient resources, and defined responsibilities across agencies. Ultimately, protecting children’s rights requires not only strong institutions, but a commitment to listen, learn, and enforce—ensuring that when a child is harmed, the system changes so that many more are protected in the future.
