A study on stateless parents’ parenting styles in the pursuit of survival and development of their children in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Statelessness has been a long-standing issue in Malaysia, resurfacing in the 1970s following the influx of approximately 17,000 Filipino refugees into Sabah. The situation worsened as the number of Filipino refugees continued to grow, reaching 200,000 by 1986. This increase was partly due to births within the refugee community, resulting in many stateless children lacking official identification documents, such as birth certificates. As the stateless population grew rapidly, it eventually outnumbered the local population in Sabah. However, this growth posed significant challenges rather than benefits to the country. Stateless individuals live in uncertainty due to the lack of official documents from the government, which hinders their rights, including the right to nationality, education, and healthcare. Therefore, this study emphasised three objectives: (1) To explore how stateless parents’ parenting styles influence the child’s survival; (2) to scrutinise how stateless parents’ parenting styles influence the child’s development and (3) to analyse the challenges faced by stateless parents in ensuring the survival and development of their children. This study adopted a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with 19 stateless parents (6 fathers and 13 mothers) who resided at Kampung Pondo, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The findings of this study revealed that stateless parents employ varied parenting styles they believe are best for their children’s development despite encountering significant challenges. The findings showed that stateless parents adopt various parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive)– depending on the best preferences and practices for their children’s survival and development. Notably, these stateless parents adopted three parenting styles in raising their children, and each of them influenced their children’s daily lives and survival strategies. Among these parenting styles, authoritative was found to be the most practised, with a positive influence on children’s survival and development. Additionally, authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles were shown to significantly affect children’s development, particularly in areas of education and health. Interestingly, the findings indicate that these parents did not observe permissive parenting. Additionally, stateless parents also encounter many challenges in raising their children, including the absence of official documents, poor economic conditions, struggles for basic survival, and limited access to education and healthcare. Despite ongoing discussions about statelessness, no significant legislative or policy changes have been implemented to address this issue in Malaysia. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying parenting styles and highlighting critical gaps in meeting the needs of this marginalised group. This study aligns with Malaysia’s MADANI concept, which emphasises the principle of Ihsan, promoting care and compassion while supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agendas for a more inclusive future.