SINCE the establishment of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) in 2019, the highest number of complaints received by the office involve child protection issues whilst protection connotes protection from sexual offences, abuse, and negligence.
Sexual offence complaints are at a critical state as a proportion of such cases involve a large number of children in rural areas – where they are traditionally resolved through the payment of penance (village mode) – as well as sodomy committed against students by teachers, and a few sexual and physical abuse cases against children in shelter homes.
These are the few cases that were being reported, not to mention the cases that went unreported.
The above-mentioned cases were successfully channelled and acted upon by the relevant authorities owing to this office’s role and function as an oversight body in coordinating all relevant parties to uphold justice and protect children.
However, this office will continue to work restrictively if it is still inadequately resourced, non-independent, and deficient in its capacity and complaint system.
Henceforth, the establishment of an independent children’s commission through legislation is crucial in protecting and promoting the rights of all children in Malaysia holistically and systematically.
To date, more than 50 countries worldwide have established their respective oversight bodies for children. This is not just limited to national-level bodies such as in New Zealand and Norway, but also at the local level like in Australia and the United States, taking into account the local context.
Despite their smaller child populations compared to Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia are bequeathed with various oversight bodies for the rights of the child at the national and local level, demonstrating the placement of children’s rights at the heart of every development in the countries.
In welcoming the 60th Malaysia Day, it is timely that a gift of a children’s commission to the children of Malaysia be realised. A children’s commission that is endowed with the function and mandate enshrined in a specific act will become a body with the responsibility to advocate and enhance the rights of children, specifically children from vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities and rural communities in Sabah and Sarawak.
Thus, OCC would like to appeal that this gift for the children of Malaysia would be realised in conjunction with this much-anticipated Malaysia Day. – September 16, 2023
Farah Nini Dusuki is children’s commissioner at Suhakam