Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said
PETALING JAYA: The creation of a Commissioner for Children will bring about better awareness among the public and the authorities on child protection, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) said the government has always given priority to the welfare, well-being, and protection of children.
“The issue of child abuse, exploitation, sexual crimes, and molestation in violation of their basic rights requires the government to act quickly,” Azalina said in a statement yesterday.
She thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet for deciding to set up an independent commission to better protect children in the country.
A group comprising civil society organisations and individuals had recently called for greater protection for children following two reported deaths involving children believed to have been abused.
The first case involved the death of a four-year-old boy in Johor who died in late December last year due to serious injuries allegedly caused by physical abuse by five of his older sister’s friends.
The child was placed under the care of his biological sister as his parents were in prison for drug offences.
On Jan 6, a six-year-old disabled girl in Sarawak was allegedly abused, killed, and then stuffed in a sack before being thrown in the bushes.
The alleged perpetrator was said to be the mother’s boyfriend.
Initial information suggested that the mother was also abused or threatened by the same man.
Besides creating better awareness about child protection among the public and government, Azalina said the commission would also advise and assist the government in drafting laws related to the issue.
Among the issues, she said, was advice on administrative directives, procedures and action when dealing with cases involving the protection of children.
“The commission will also be empowered to hold inquiries and conduct investigations with regard to complaints of abuse of children’s rights,” she said, adding the commission would also advise the government on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other international instruments.
Azalina noted that a Children’s Commissioner would also be appointed to head the commission.
The commissioner, she added, would also head efforts to set up the commission, including the drafting of laws specifically related to the commission.
She added that the name of the commissioner would be announced later after receiving consent from the King.
The Children’s Commission is not the same as the Children’s Department proposed by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
The commission is an independent statutory body that is free to monitor and advise the government on issues pertaining to children, while the proposed Children’s Department is a government agency.
