Protecting the young ones: (From left) Anne Lasimbang representing Pacos, Anne Baltazar (Anak), Jellsie Fung (PPTS), Jacqueline Lingham (CHILD), and Wong Fook Oi (PTS) at the MoU signing ceremony.
KOTA KINABALU: Five associations have joined hands to form a collaborative council to better safeguard children’s safety in Sabah after it was identified as one of the top three states in Malaysia with the highest number of child abuse cases.
Towards this end, Persatuan Tadika Sabah (PTS), Persatuan CHILD, Advocates for Non-Discrimination and Access to Knowledge (Anak), Partners of Community Organisations in Sabah (Pacos), and Persatuan Perkhidmatan Taska Sabah (PPTS) signed a memorandum of understanding on May 6.
PTS chairman Sonia Chin said the primary objective of the collaborative council is to advocate the importance of child protection in Sabah, and to ensure their wellbeing and future.
By working together, the council aims to establish a coordinated approach, develop and implement child safeguarding policies, raise awareness, promote education, as well as foster a culture of child protection across the state, she said.
“We seek to address this critical issue and protect the most vulnerable members of society. It is about time Sabahans stood up for the children of Sabah.
“We must take proactive measures to protect and safeguard our children, who are the future generation of Sabah,” she added.
Chin said the collaborative council is poised to serve as a beacon of hope, a platform for change, and a unifying force in the pursuit of child safeguarding and advocacy in Sabah.
“It’s a significant step towards creating a safer, more secure, and nurturing environment for all children in the state,” she added.
