Suhakam wants gov't to study police SOP on quizzing kids

The government must study the police interview procedures for pupils to protect their rights, says Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

Acting Suhakam commissioner Khaw Lake Tee said interviewing pupils without their parents or guardians flouted their rights although it was not provided for under the Children Act 2001.

The act provided that a child needed preservation, care and special aid and protection at all situations and times, he said in a statement here today.

He was commenting on the action of the police who quizzed pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pristana, Sungai Buloh without parental consent and presence.

Khaw said the government must respect the rights and responsibility of parents to suitably direct and guide their children, in line with their capability to grow, based on the fifth article on the convention on the rights of the child.

Furthermore, the United Nations guide on justice for child crime victims and witnesses also stressed on the need to handle them carefully as found in the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence of Child Witness Act 2007.

In this regard, he said Suhakam urged the police and school to act and uphold the best interest of any child and ensure the matter did not recur.

"If there is a need to question any child, it must be agreed upon by parents or guardians and in their presence, and using a method sensitive to children by trained and profesional personnel," he added.

- Bernama