Have More Welfare Dept Staff To Stop Child Abuse Ngo Tells Govt

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Bantu-Bantu Malaysia co-founder Dian Lee also supported the call by Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for child protection laws to be enhanced immediately.PETALING JAYA: The Bantu-Bantu Malaysia movement has urged the government to increase the number of staff for the social welfare department (JKM) to improve enforcement and prevent the abuse of children.
Its co-founder, Dian Lee, said at present, JKM’s offices in large cities only had five specialised officers tasked with monitoring welfare homes.
“Such a burden should not be allowed to persist and the government must take immediate steps to address the issue.
“The number of enforcement officers in JKM must be increased to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and investigating (cases), especially when it comes to child-related cases,” she said in a statement.
Lee echoed comments made earlier in the week by Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim that child protection laws must be enhanced immediately.
Tunku Ismail said the enhancements should factor in childcare centre registration, accreditation, assessment, funding and monitoring to ensure all operators operated within the legal framework.
He said such steps were crucial to prevent a repeat of what happened to teenager Bella.
Bella, who was born with Down Syndrome, was alleged to have been abused while in the care of a welfare home. The home’s founder, Siti Bainun Ahd Razali, 30, is now on trial on two charges of neglect and abuse.
Lee also urged the women, family and community development ministry to be more proactive in implementing and prioritising new initiatives to ensure the welfare of children is improved and no cases of abuse or neglect are repeated. - FMT

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