'Govt to amend laws involving child victims to give better protection'

The government plans to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Evidence of Child Witness Act 2007, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.

Aside from that, they also plan to amend the Evidence Act 1950.

Azalina (above) said her ministry has already started meeting with several stakeholders, such as academicians, civil societies, Unicef and government representatives, to receive their input and discuss the direction of the amendments since December 2022.

“Following that, the government has approved amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, the Evidence of Child Witness Act and the Evidence Act 1950 on Feb 24, 2023,” she said, during her wrapping-up speech for Budget 2023 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The amendments will be carried out in two phases, she explained.

In the first phase, there are three amendments each proposed for the Sexual Offences Against Children Act and the Evidence of Child Witness Act, which will be tabled in this current parliamentary sitting.

The second phase will be implemented in the next parliamentary session after further engagement with stakeholders, Azalina said.

Among the proposed amendments that will be done is to introduce additional child-friendly steps to protect victims, legislate new crimes and allocate compensation to victims, she mentioned.

“The two acts have not been amended since they were enacted and an update is due, in line with current times and technology.

“When technology develops and modern abuse methods crop up whether online or offline, existing laws must be amended to handle, prevent and punish abusers who use these modern methods.

“Aside from that, the government must ensure that access to the justice system for every child victim is safe, easily accessible and prioritises the best interest of the child.

“The amendments that will soon be implemented are a positive change to the justice system for crimes committed against children in Malaysia.

“The planned reforms will also, hopefully, help prevent the child victims or witnesses from experiencing long-term trauma due to being forced through the lengthy trial process and a judiciary system that is not child-friendly,” the Pengerang MP said. - Mkini