MP submits motion on alleged child neglect at gov't facility

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh has submitted a motion to debate an alleged child negligence case involving 162 children at a government-linked shelter

This is in regard to Sinar Harian report on Friday exposing allegedly poor conditions at the shelter, which falls under the Community Welfare Department's (JKM) purview.

"I tried to go to the shelter over the weekend but they said I needed written permission from the department to enter.

"Did they want to hide something?

"I worry about the wellbeing of the children who are said to be neglected," Fuziah said at a press conference in the Parliament lobby today.

The Sinar report quoted an inside source as saying that there are not enough caretakers to care for the 162 children at the shelter in Kuantan.

The source said some children were also made to do chores not appropriate with their age.

Other allegations made in the report were that “hyperactive” toddlers were confined to cribs, and that facilities for the children were severely lacking.

Children of school-going age allegedly only had one set of uniforms each, and were made to wash the clothes daily.

Sinar quoted Pahang JKM director Nor Tipah Majin as saying that the allegations were false.

She said JKM had investigated such claims at the shelter before but found no evidence of neglect.

Fuziah, however, said it is not enough to issue a denial, and demanded that JKM prove that the allegations were false. -Mkini