Saturday October 6, 2007
Welfare officers to track suspected paedophiles
By IZATUN SHARI
KUALA LUMPUR: Welfare officers will follow through in investigations into any report of sexual assault on children even if the complainant were to withdraw the police report.
Women, Family and Community Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the intention was to build up a database on perpetrators who could possibly harm children.
She said this was one the proposals to be included in the proposed Child Protection Policy, which would be tabled in Cabinet after Hari Raya.
She was speaking to reporters after a meeting on violence against women and children with the police and media representatives at her ministry here yesterday.
Shahrizat said the Government wanted to send a signal to perpetrators so they would not repeat their offence.
“We will send our welfare team as soon as there is an official police report whether the report is withdrawn or not.
“They may get away because there is not enough evidence or if the report is withdrawn but we will not let these types of characters loose.
“We want them to know that we are looking at these cases. I’ll make sure that the welfare team talk to the family and find out exactly what happened,” she said.
She said that based on feedback from the police, a lot of such cases were withdrawn because the victims were afraid or regretted lodging reports especially when the perpetrators were known to them.
Yesterday's meeting was a follow up to an earlier meeting on child abuse and missing children with the Attorney- General, Inspector-General of Police and non-governmental organisations on Sept 20.
Shahrizat said the meeting touched on the escalating cases of sexual abuse involving children.
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