In the Malaysian state of Sabah, public antipathy towards the presence of large numbers of migrant workers influences a widespread ignorance of the educational and other exclusions of their children. Children of migrants are rendered invisible in Sabahan cultural discourse because they are not recognized as proper subjects, or even as ‘normal’ children. Cultural denial of such children’s circumstances can be seen in local newspaper reports that consider such children with reference to fears of ‘illegals’ and their threat to future Sabahan citizens. This discourse draws on a particular understanding of child deservingness, and utilizes what Cohen describes as ‘neutralization techniques’. However, such apparently wilful blindness can best be understood by considering it on a spectrum of different forms of ignorance and denial. This includes the blatant lack of recognition afforded by powerful individuals who should be more aware of the children of their workers, the humanitarian blindness of volunteer teachers who over-emphasize the saving power of education, and the complex and situational ignorance of children of migrants themselves. Appreciating other, potentially more benign or protective, forms of denial is crucial to understanding how ignorance of the complexity of the situation of children of migrants continues, even among those hoping to resolve it.

中文翻译：

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看不见的孩子？马来西亚沙巴的不承认、人道主义失明和其他形式的无知

在马来西亚沙巴州，公众对大量外来务工人员的反感导致人们普遍不了解其子女的教育和其他排斥。移民子女在沙巴文化话语中被忽视，因为他们不被视为适当的主体，甚至不被视为“正常”儿童。在当地报纸报道中可以看到对此类儿童情况的文化否认，这些报道将此类儿童视为对“非法”的恐惧以及他们对未来沙巴公民的威胁。该论述借鉴了对儿童应得性的特殊理解，并利用了科恩所描述的“中和技术”。然而，通过在一系列不同形式的无知和否认中考虑它，可以最好地理解这种明显故意的盲目。这包括应该更多地了解工人子女的有权势人士公然缺乏认可，过分强调教育的拯救能力的志愿教师的人道主义盲目性，以及移民子女本身对复杂和情境的无知。 . 欣赏其他可能更温和或更具保护性的否认形式对于理解移民子女的复杂情况如何继续无知至关重要，即使是那些希望解决问题的人也是如此。