In Semporna, Malaysia Thousands Of Stateless People Call Floating Village Of “Bangau-Bangau” Home

In Semporna, Malaysia, thousands of stateless people call the floating village of “Bangau-Bangau” home. Stateless people cannot attend state-funded schools, struggle to find legal employment and do not receive public healthcare. The Malaysian government recently abandoned several proposed amendments to their citizenship laws, which had been met with widespread criticism for their potential to render children stateless. Under one of these amendments, abandoned children would have lost the right to automatic citizenship. Other controversial amendments have not been dropped. These include proposals to lower the age limit for registration for childhood citizenship and deprive foreign wives of citizenship if their marriage ends within two years. These laws were packaged with one well received amendment that grants mothers - not just fathers - the right to pass on citizenship to children born overseas. | May 23, 2024 | #Malaysia
Photos and footage by Mailee Osten-Tan
Music from Epidemic Sound - “Ambient Sun” by Cerulean Skies
Video produced by Ruby Wallau