English 
Malay By: Cso Platform For Reform – Child Cluster
Organisation/ Individual: Child Rights Coalition Malaysia (CRCM)
Policy Code: 2e Child
Problem Statement and Current Policy:
1. Despite Malaysia’s ratification of UNCRC and relevant laws for child participation, children continue to have their voices unheard, if not silenced. 2. The culture of perceiving children as “incapable” of understanding or knowing about matters that concern them is the root-cause of the lack of empowerment for children to participate in family, schools, community and child-related policy-making decisions. 3. 3/4 children primarily want quality education for every child (UNICEF Children4Change poll, 2017). Today, the decision of reopening schools is made without consulting or even hearing the opinions of children themselves. 4. Child participation in Malaysia today is limited to the first three ladders of Hart’s ladder of child participation – manipulation, decoration and tokenism. Children’s opinions are not really included in policy-making decisions that concern them. Children spend at least 13 years in schools. The education system has failed in creating the spaces for children’s voices to be heard.
Value(s) and Belief:
Upholding UNCRC Articles 12-17 to amplify child participation in accessing information and enabling them to participate in decision making processes affecting their rights and wellbeing at all levels by including: 1. children in national policy-making decisions; 2. normalising children’s participation within their ecological systems; 3. empowering children as child rights advocates.
Proposal of Solution and Call for Action:
1. Laws and policies made should primarily be in the best interest of children, and its implementation should reflect active child participation. 2. Grassroot initiatives need to be taken in order to shift the collective mindset on child inclusivity. KRTs and RAs can create spaces for child participation to educate, accompany and empower children to participate at their immediate community level. 3. National policies, laws and decisions concerning children must include their opinions in its decision-making process. Children must be seen as stakeholders and have their opinions taken into account prior to any decisions pertaining to them. 4. The degree of child participation must ascend from non-participation towards adult-initiated shared decisions with children and child-initiated and directed participation within the next five years. 5. Schools need to allow for inclusive and holistic participation for children in the freedom of choice of art/science stream, in sports and other extracurricular activities. Classroom learning should also be revamped in such a way that teachers act as guides instead of instructors, so as to ensure an interactive nurturing space for child participation and growth.
Additional information:
2019 CRCM Status Report