KUALA LUMPUR: Children rights experts have urged the government to adopt a more proactive approach when tackling issues concerning children, especially sexual abuse cases.
They believe that while adequate legislation was in place, more must be done to educate parents and children to be aware of how to avoid sexual abuse and ways of dealing with them.
Childline Foundation honorary project director Datin Wong Poai Hong said education and raising awareness was crucial to prevent such cases from recurring.
“Malaysia has progressive laws for children but we need to correct our method of tackling cases as we go along, as sexual abuse cases are among the many issues affecting them.
“The adults must know how to take care of the children just as the community has to be aware of the children’s welfare.”
Wong said the government can call upon non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to aid their efforts.
“There are many NGOs and institutions willing to work with the government to find the root cause of the problem,” she said.
Wong was commenting on the case of Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, who was jailed in the United Kingdom for possessing child pornography, but after his release has been allowed to pursue his PhD studies in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Suriana Welfare Society chairman James Nayagam called for a stringent monitoring system for those convicted of sexual crimes against children.
He said the next step should be on setting up a system to ensure that the offenders were constantly monitored.
He commended the availability of the sex offenders list.
It came about after the Sexual Offences Against Children (SOAC) Act 2017 came into force. However, he said the list was not available to the public.
He also called for the setting up of a panel to probe sexual crime cases that did not go to court.
“There should be a panel that can oversee the investigation. Shouldn’t medical records as proof of evidence be enough?
“The placement of the child after a traumatic experience is crucial.
“If the suspect was their own parent, will the child be sent back to his or her home?”
Child activist Madeleine Yong said the case of Nur Fitri showed that there were still grey areas on measures that should be taken against sex offenders who were convicted of crimes abroad and have returned to the country.
“Having a list isn’t good enough.
“Parents should know what steps the authorities have taken so that they can rest well knowing that their children are safe,” she said.