JPN record shows 540,000 illegitimate births in past 11 years

The National Registration Department (JPN) has recorded over 540,000 cases of illegitimate births from 2006 to June 2017, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"From 2006 to June 30, 2017, there have been 542,363 registrations of illegitimate births (anak tak sah taraf)," Zahid told Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) in a written parliamentary reply.

"However, not all of these children were conceived out of wedlock," added the home minister.

Mahfuz asked the government to provide the latest statistics on this group of children and the percentage of parents who only tied the knot after giving birth to illegitimate children.

According to Zahid, the illegitimate children are those born under the following circumstances:

1. Unmarried parents.
    
2. Married couple who failed to register the birth of their child.
    
3. Married Muslim couple who give birth within six months from the date of their marriage.
    
4. Married couple who reside overseas but failed to register the birth with JPN for non-Muslims, and the state religious authority for Muslims.
    
5. Stranded children whose parents not identified.

Zahid said JPN does not have the statistics of parents who tied the knot after giving birth to illegitimate children. - Mkini