CRC in MalaysiaConvention on the Rights of the Child: Read Now! Malaysia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995 to uphold its commitment to the protection and welfare of her children. This was a major step for the country. The country's ratification however contained a number of conditions in the form of ‘reservations’ to the provisions of the CRC. These reservations were put in place since there were discrepancies between these CRC articles and some national and Syariah laws. Malaysia submitted its first report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2006, and in return the Committee recognised the Government’s serious attempts to comply with the CRC—especially through the enactment of the Child Act in 2001. The Committee submitted its Concluding Observations to Malaysia in 2007, which included the following recommendations: § Review and abolish Malaysia’s reservations to the CRC
§ Ratify the two Optional Protocols and other international laws
§ Review Malaysia’s dual legal system (Civil and Syariah) as some domestic laws are obstacles to the realisation of the CRC in Malaysia
§ Review and reform domestic laws such as the Essential (Security Cases) Regulations 1975
§ Abolish capital punishment for children
§ Review the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 to ensure that acceptable conditions of work are clearly and strictly defined to comply with international labour standards. Note: A ‘reservation’ allows a state to disagree with a provision in a treaty. The state can still approve the treaty as a whole, with reservations serving as exceptions.
Convention on the Rights of the Child  Publication: CRC  UNICEF Malaysia: Promoting child rights through the law in Malaysia, 2008. Malaysia’s CRC Report
• 1st CRC Report 2006
• List of Issues .............................................. Concluding Observations to Malaysia, 2007 |
