KUALA LUMPUR: With the rising cases of sexual and physical abuse, bullying and exploitation of children, the Child Protection Society Malaysia (CPSM) is spearheading a nationwide awareness campaign on child safety called "Safe Child, Strong Nation".
CPSM founder and president Datuk Seri Nazir Ariff Mushir Ariff said the campaign comes at a time with increased concerns and prominence of such cases including the high-profile scandal of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
"The GISB case opened many people’s eyes. We were not aware that such a thing could happen, but we saw more cases coming out after this scandal," he said at the campaign's launch here on Monday (June 22).
As such, Nazir Ariff said, schools could appoint specially-trained teachers to identify children who are being abused.
He said teachers who notice thar something is not right can find out more by talking to the child and the parents.
"Having a specific teacher to address problems in a family can be the way because if we start looking into the issues, we will surely find the root of the problem.
"But for many of us, the culture of shame doesn’t allow us to talk about it and this has been the case for a long time," he said.
The launch of the campaign was also attended by Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, Children's Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia; CPSM Kuala Lumpur branch chairman Tengku Datuk Asra Jehan Tengku Azlan; and Astro group communications and sustainability director Foo Su Lynn.
Through public education outreach programmes and awareness campaigns, the initiative aims to equip children, parents, educators and communities with the knowledge as well as confidence to recognise risk and conduct intervention while creating a safer environment for children.
The campaign is set to unite prominent Malaysian voices from sports, entertainment, business, media and community, including former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, campaign ambassador Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim, Datuk Nicol David and Farah Ann Abdul Hadi.
Farah was pleased with the campaign as it can reach a wider audience especially regarding unreported cases.
"Every 90 minutes there is a report on child abuse cases… for every social problem, usually for one reported case, it normally represents 10 unreported cases. These include cases like domestic violence, child abuse, sex abuse.
"So we welcome all the people with influence to create more impact because they can reach out more. It is important to empower all sides and include the voice of children as well," she said.
Meanwhile, Khairy hoped for a more open discussion on the matter because the issue of crimes against children, especially sexual crimes, is always seen as a taboo in Malaysia.
"Maybe some of our community members have started to talk about this issue but for the majority of them, it has become a taboo they don't want to talk about.
"But there are many cases involving institutions that are tasked to protect and educate children, yet on the other hand, crimes are committed against the children.
"I think the campaign is timely so that we can openly talk about what is happening. We should not deny or reject this as fake news and we need to take any report seriously because children are the most vulnerable group," he said.
Tengku Asra Jehan emphasised the importance of collective responsibility in safeguarding children.
"It takes a village to raise a child, but an entire nation to protect them. Child protection begins with awareness, education and the willingness of adults to recognise warning signs and take action before a child becomes vulnerable," she said.
