PUTRAJAYA: Amendments to the Child Act to address emerging challenges involving minors, including those linked to explicit or sexual material are still ongoing, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said the proposed amendments were being reviewed to ensure gaps in existing legislation could be addressed.
Questions were raised on this following the Ops Pedo case where minors were detained after being suspected of producing sexually explicit animated content which was sold online for between RM50 and RM60 per clip.
However, Nancy said she could not comment in detail on Ops Pedo as the case remained under investigation by the Home Ministry.
“We will assess the situation, and if there are gaps in the proposed amendments, we can incorporate additional provisions,” she said during a press conference held after the launch of National Reproductive Health Symposium 2026 on Tuesday (Sept 29).
Nancy said legislative amendments took time as new challenges could emerge during the drafting process.
She said the ministry had taken current developments involving children into account and would gather input where necessary before incorporating them into legislation.
Asked whether the amendments would cover situations where children were allegedly grooming their peers, Nancy said the ministry would study the matter.
She said the ministry was also evaluating whether specific measures should apply to children as young as 13.
“Legally, a child is defined as anyone under 18, but some of the actions involved exceed typical childhood behaviour.
“However, we must study this carefully to avoid double jeopardy for minors,” she said.
Nancy added that the ministry would discuss the matter with relevant agencies, particularly the Home Ministry, before deciding what could be incorporated into the amendments
