PARLIAMENT | The newly created Special Court for Sexual Crimes Against Children has resolved 314 cases so far, with only 68 cases still pending as of February, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang).
In total, she said the special court in Putrajaya had registered 382 cases since it began operations on June 22, 2017, up to February 2018.
“This shows that these cases are being resolved in a short time, which is less than a year,” she told the Dewan Rakyat during ministers’ question time today.
She was responding to a question from Hasan Malek (BN-Kuala Pilah) asking for figures on the special court, and whether cases are being resolved quickly.
According to Azalina, a circular issued by the chief registrar last year requires criminal cases at subordinate courts to be disposed or resolved within 12 months.
The special court was set up in tandem with the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Soaca), which was passed by Parliament in April last year.
The law and new court were enacted amid concerns that existing measures were not adequate to protect children against sexual predators targeting children.
Meanwhile, to a follow-up question from Hasan asking about the steps taken to ensure the quality of the court proceedings, Azalina said the government had told the judiciary and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to take several measures.
Among others, she said prosecutors tasked with handling child sexual crime would not be transferred for three years. This is to allow them time to build expertise.
In addition, judges and prosecutors would be of the Jusa C pay grade, which would ensure that they have the necessary experience to handle the case.
The judges and prosecutors also attend courses overseas, and have been given guidelines on handling child sexual offences that is one-of-a-kind in Malaysia’s legal system. -Mkini
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