Govt urged to hold special Parliament session on children's issues

In conjunction with World Children’s Day, the parliamentary special select committee (PSSC) on women, children and social development have put forth a couple of recommendations in order to better uplift and protect children in the country.

“As lawmakers, the PSSC is cognisant that all matters relating to children require a multi-agency and multi-sectoral approach.

“The PSSC reiterates its concern regarding the absence of a designated agency which monitors all issues related to children in Malaysia.

“Therefore, in conjunction with World Children’s Day, the PSSC puts forward the following recommendations (to) conduct a special session on children in Parliament and invite the office of the child commissioner from the National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to table its report to the Parliament on key issues affecting children in Malaysia.

“(Also, the) enactment of Child Commissioner Act to provide greater credence and independence to the child commissioner,” the PSSC said in a statement today.

The PSSC on women, children and social development consists of Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said, Rompin MP Hasan Arifin, Kota Samarahan MP Rubiah Wang, Kemaman MP Che Alias Hamid, Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil, Lanang MP Alice Lau and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh.

The PSSC noted that this is the 26th year since Malaysia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995.

The PSSC also said the Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on children in Malaysia, with millions of them having been impacted by mental and physical developmental impediments.

Rising number of suicide

Children have also had their schooling activities restricted for almost two years since the start of the pandemic, they said.

“We were not fully prepared to respond to a global public health emergency and as a result, our children have suffered a multitude of challenges including access to education, severe mental health pressure, all forms of abuse and the loss of one or both parent or loved ones due to Covid-19,” the PSSC said.

Among the worrying data they have been presented with during their engagement with government agencies and NGOs is the rising number of suicide cases among children aged 15 to 18, with 872 cases reported from 2019 to May 2021.

There has also been an increasing number of children victimised by sex offenders, with 1,721 cases of sexual abuse recorded between January to June 2020. There is also a backlog of 2,162 active cases in the process of trial.

The PSSC is also concerned about the number of school drop-outs among children living in areas without internet access, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, along with the plight of children in detention in correctional institutions and immigration depots.

They are also worried about the limited reach of Covid-19 related assistance and services for children from vulnerable groups such as refugees and asylum-seekers, undocumented migrant children, Orang Asal, Orang Asli, children with disabilities and children from low-income B40 households.

However, the PSSC acknowledged the efforts as well as the limitations faced by the government agencies and NGOs in responding to the challenges faced by children in Malaysia.

“We hope that a ‘whole of society’ approach is taken to accelerate the implementation of programmes designed to provide these much-needed services to vulnerable children,” they said. - Mkini