PUTRAJAYA, Jan 18 — The appointment of a Children’s Commissioner under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) does not overlap with the work scope of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM), said Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
On the other hand, she said having the commissioner will be an advantage to the ministry, as well as government agencies involved in children’s affairs and welfare such as the Home Ministry or the Ministry of Education.
“Our duties will go on as usual and there are no overlapping tasks. In fact, this will be helpful in terms of check and balance for us (KPWKM),” Nancy told reporters after a town hall meeting at the ministry here today.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that a Children’s Commissioner has been appointed to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) with immediate effect as part of efforts to tackle abuse and other social problems involving children.
Meanwhile, she said 18,000 social workers are needed to handle cases related to the rehabilitation, care and protection of children nationwide.
Since 2021, a total of 1,120 Grade S29 assistant community development officers have been appointed on a contract basis.
“Studies found that the ratio of social workers to cases stands at 1:108 cases involving child protection and rehabilitation, domestic violence, daycare centres and so forth…this is not sufficient as ideally, it should be 1:15 to 20 cases,” Nancy said.
Until November last year, KPWKM through the Social Welfare Department had handled a total of 5,572 cases involving physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect, she added.
— Bernama
