'Don't let Welfare Dept officers decide if moms are unfit parents'

 

Welfare officers should not have the authority to deem mothers unfit to care for their children as they do not have the qualification to do so, said activist Hartini Zainudin.

During a panel discussion on the plight of stateless mothers, the Yayasan Chow Kit co-founder stated that these civil servants lack proper training and clear criteria to make such consequential decisions.

"(Social Welfare Department) officers cannot decide who is fit or unfit because they're not trained for that. What are the criteria? It cannot be based solely on age or poverty," she told the audience.

"Being underage or unwed isn't a good enough reason. Being stateless alone doesn't justify declaring a parent unfit," she added,

Hartini emphasised the need to consider family support systems, guarantors, and sponsors willing to assist the mothers.

The panel discussion was part of a documentary screening event for “The Forgotten Babies" which highlights the shocking revelation that babies born to stateless mothers at a Lahad Datu hospital were given away without consent, as reported by Malaysiakini journalist S Vinothaa last year.

Yayasan Chow Kit co-founder Hartini Zainudin (right) speaking during the panel discussion

Vinothaa's report, "Baby Snatching: How Stateless Mums Lose Their Infants in Sabah," earned her a nomination for Excellence in Reporting on Women's Issues at the 2024 Sopa Awards.

The documentary screening aimed to raise awareness about this critical issue and advocate for a more compassionate and well-regulated approach to determining a mother's fitness to care for her child.

Proper SOPs needed

Hartini underlined the need for the Social Welfare Department to establish a dedicated task force to develop proper guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling cases involving stateless mothers.

She asserted that these mothers should have the right to care for their children, with the department ensuring they have appropriate guarantors and facilitating home visits.

Hartini revealed that a reporter had previously raised this issue with Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri, urging her to establish guidelines.

"The minister promised to release the SOP criteria in a press conference that reporter attended last year, but she still hasn't released it," Hartini said, expressing frustration over the lack of progress on this crucial matter.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri

The activist's remarks highlighted the urgent need for transparency, clear protocols, and a compassionate approach when assessing the fitness of stateless mothers to care for their children, rather than relying on arbitrary criteria or assumptions based on their circumstances.

Also present at the event were The Fourth’s Claire Anthony and Aime Maris Chong from Anak Sabah NGO. - Mkini