Child Act needs to be strengthened, says Permaisuri Johor

JOHOR BARU: The Child Act needs to be strengthened, with legislative provisions so that more proactive and aggressive action can be taken, says Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah.

Her Majesty questioned the weaknesses in the authorities' system related to the safety and protection of children in a meeting with several government agencies and non-governmental organisations held at Istana Polo here.

"Where is the weakness in our system so that such terrible abuse like the recent case of a four-year-old boy can happen?

"There may be various factors, but here is the role that the authorities need to play to improve this situation.

"There may be many among the people who are not aware of the channels they should use in cases involving children.

"There is also an issue of trust deficit on the effectiveness of the reports made to the authorities - whether their follow-up actions are effective or not in ensuring the best environment to protect the victims," Her Majesty added.

Raja Zarith Sofiah said this in a statement posted on the Royal Johor Facebook page here on Wednesday (Jan 4).

Her Majesty expressed hopes that all relevant parties take steps to improve the child protection system.

Raja Zarith Sofiah also recalled the cruel cases that happened to children in the past such as the late Nurul Huda Abdul Ghani in 2004 and the late Nurul Nadirah Abdullah (Dirang) in 2012.

"The four-year-old boy’s case reminds me of the sorrow and sadness of past tragedies like what happened to them.

"The Child Act needs to be strengthened, with legal provisions so that more proactive and aggressive actions can be taken.

"One of the main things that must be paid attention to is the role of the Welfare Department, which needs to be updated for more effective services.

"The department is currently very burdened with complaints from families who need help, including during disasters such as floods or house fires.

"Perhaps a special government department can be established specifically to deal with children's issues including abuse, bullying at school and others," said Her Majesty.

On Dec 27, a four-year-old boy in Batu Pahat died from alleged physical abuse at the hands of his guardian and sister.

Police were notified of the case after a 23-year-old man lodged a report at around 6.45pm on Friday (Dec 23).

Following the report, police have since arrested five people, including the victim’s 19-year-old sister and her 37-year-old husband.

However, the boy died at around 6.40pm at Sultan Ismail Hospital intensive care unit on Monday (Dec 26).