Group: More needs to be done to boost Bill

KOTA KINABALU: While the Sexual Offences Against Children Bill 2017 is a good move, more needs to be done to increase the capacity of the relevant agencies to enforce the law once it is gazetted.

Sabah Action Women’s Resource Group (Sawo) president Winnie Yee said more trained police personnel and Social Services Department personnel were needed in the state for the law to be effective.

“We hope there will be specially trained officers in all districts for this law to be effective,” she said in thanking the Government and MPs for supporting the Bill.

Yee said Sawo had given its input in the drafting of the Bill.

She said Social Services personnel would offer protection to children who were victims of sexual abuse while the police would investigate and enforce the law.

Yee said trained police officers and Social Services Department personnel should not only be well versed in the law, but also in the Child Act 2001 and the Children’s Rights Convention (CRC) to which Malaysia is a signatory.

“We can have lovely laws, but if there is no one to offer protection and to effectively enforce them in remote districts like Nabawan, Sook or Pensiangan here, then these are just pieces of paper,” Yee added.

All police stations, she said, should have a special room for sexual abuse victims.

“Similarly, officers should be provided with the necessary logistics such as vehicles for them to carry out their duties,” Yee said.