Educational Access for Indonesian Migrant Worker Children in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: A Normative Exclusion?

Children of Indonesian migrant workers in Johor, Malaysia, face major barriers in education, healthcare, legal protection, socio-economic integration, and mental wellbeing. Unlike studies on “children left behind,” this research focuses on “children on the move” who migrate with their parents. Using a rights-based and transnational childhood approach, the study finds that although international frameworks recognize migrant children’s rights, national policies often exclude them in practice. Based on qualitative fieldwork, family and community support help reduce hardships, but systemic exclusion remains.