Move to improve child protection laws in the country

KOTA TINGGI: Malaysia plans to come up with a roadmap to improve laws pertaining to child protection, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) announced that Kuala Lumpur will host an international symposium next week that will bring together experts on child protection from all over the world.

“We have brought several experts from around the world, including those who have set up Children’s Commissions in other countries.

“We will look at the steps they have taken and the challenges they faced, as we are still new to this,” she said.

Azalina, who is also Pengerang MP, said this to reporters during her Hari Raya open house on Friday night.

She added that currently, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) is under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

“Through this symposium, I hope that we can come up with a roadmap to give more protection in terms of laws to children in this country. It does not matter whether the children are Malaysians or not,” she said.

The Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur will host the International Symposium on Empowerment of the Children’s Commission tomorrow and Tuesday.

On a separate matter, Azalina said that she has submitted a proposal to set up a hospital in her constituency in Pengerang to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

She said that currently, the closest hospital to the area is the Kota Tinggi hospital, which is about 50km away.

“I have informed the Prime Minister that Desaru is an important spot for international tourism. If the hospital is too far away, people may think twice about coming here due to safety concerns.

“There are also oil and gas projects in the area, and I am concerned about the distance in case of an emergency.

“I hope that if a large hospital cannot be established, at least an emergency and accident centre can be set up to handle emergencies,” she added.

She added that there had also been an increase in fatal accidents, especially along the Senai-Desaru Highway.

“I have discussed the matter and expressed my concerns to the Prime Minister, and he has agreed to study the matter,” said Azalina.