Siti Rahayu Baharin

Siti Rahayu Baharin is a child rights advocate focused on equal access to education and the fight against childhood statelessness in Malaysia. Her work combines grassroots action with national and international advocacy.

She co-founded Buku Jalanan Chow Kit, a community education center for stateless and marginalized children in Kuala Lumpur. She now serves as an advisor to the organization, guiding strategy and leadership.

Her advocacy emphasizes the right to citizenship for all children born and raised in Malaysia. She has worked with coalitions including APPGM-Child Rights and MCRA to engage policymakers and press for reform. She has organized roundtables, lobbied parliamentarians and contributed to national campaigns highlighting the impact of statelessness on children.

Internationally, she spoke at the UNCRC pre-session in Geneva on access to education, urging Malaysia to strengthen commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has also been an invited panelist at forums on women in politics, education access, and child protection.

Her skills include policy advocacy, strategic communications, fundraising, organizational leadership, and program design. She is recognized for her ability to connect community realities with systemic change, ensuring that children’s rights are prioritized at every level.

Her work is defined by a consistent focus that every child must have the right to legal identity and the right to quality education.