Children’s Commissioner wants Child Sex Offenders Registry to be expanded

PETALING JAYA: Plans are afoot to expand the Child Sex Offenders Registry to include crimes such as physical abuse against children.

Currently, the registry covers sexual offences only.

“What happens if a person has been convicted of physical abuse involving children?” said Children’s Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki (pic).

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“The purpose of the registry is to prevent people who have a history of crimes against children to not work near minors.”

As such, Farah Nini is looking to expand the current crimes outlined in the registry, she told The Star.

The Children’s Commission was established in 2019 as an independent body to protect the rights of children.

Farah Nini, who spent three decades working in the field of human rights and child law, was appointed for a three-year term as the Children’s Commissioner under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on March 8, 2023.

The King consented to Farah’s appointment as Children’s Commissioner in accordance with Section 5(2) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act.

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She succeeded the first Children’s Commissioner, Prof Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal, who held the position from 2019 to 2022.

In an interview to mark her first year on the job, Farah Nini shared her concerns about the current limitations of the Child Sex Offenders Registry, which has been up since April 1, 2019.

“Last year, I read an article about a child who was abused at a daycare centre by their carer. What makes it even more appalling is that the suspect had previously been convicted of child abuse. This could have been prevented if a list covering child physical abuse was included in the registry,” she said.

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Such a list could help daycare centres carry out background checks on prospective hires and prevent incidents such as this from happening, she added.

Farah Nini said Section 31 of the Child Act, outline offences such as abuse, neglect, abandonment or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause “physical or emotional injury.”

This meant that the provision covered all forms of abuse against children including physical abuse, she added.

She said it is crucial to include other offences such as physical abuse against children in the registry following rising reports of abuse, especially in daycare centres.

Having such an inclusive registry would allow a daycare centre to write to the Welfare Department, which manages the registry, to request that it screen a potential hire, said Farah Nini.

She said the proposal had been made to the Chief Justice and had received a positive response.

“The Children’s Commission, as a bridge (between the public and the authorities), met the Chief of Justice back in October (last year) on our requests,” she said.

The first request was to expand the register and the second was to include those who were charged with child abuse in the registry, she added.