KUALA LUMPUR – Civil society groups are calling on the government to ensure the protection of children against all forms of discrimination, in conjunction with World Children’s Day today.
With this year’s theme of “A Better Future for Every Child”, celebrations with much fanfare would be out of place as children still face violations of their rights.
In an open letter to the prime minister today, the All Women’s Action Society (Awam) highlighted a surge in statutory rape cases, among others.
It said as of October, statutory rape is 71% of the total number of rape cases for the year, alongside an upward trend in the prevalence of child marriages due to worsening social issues such as poverty.
Awam said in April alone, there were 215 incidents of students in local schools being sexually harassed.
“We still see rape culture being reinforced in the most deplorable ways possible by ‘role models’.
“In the past three years alone, we had a politician saying there is ‘nothing wrong’ with a rape survivor marrying their rapist, a lecturer blaming survivors’ clothing and behaviour as causes of rape, and an actor glorifying rape scenes in a live talk show.
“This patriarchal culture has a huge ripple effect on our children and this is why they are at risk of being sexually harassed in schools, be it by peers or figures of authority.”
The letter included a call for all relevant ministries to do their part moving forward, along with an advocate for other states to follow the model emulated by Selangor in amending the minimum legal marriage age for Muslims from the age of 16 to 18.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia children’s commissioner Professor Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal said the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the rights and lives of children in many ways, including the loss of learning, rise in child abuse cases, mental health issues, orphaned children, and their families pushed into poverty.
Applauding the government for allocating funds catering to the needs of children, Noor Aziah said in a statement that the government should develop a comprehensive post-pandemic plan to overcome the ramifications of the pandemic that will benefit all children in Malaysia, regardless of their status.
It said the government should ensure that Budget 2022 and Malaysia’s National Recovery Plan are driven by the principles of the best interest of the child, their survival and development, non-discrimination, and the views of the child.
“Therefore, towards a better future for every child in Malaysia, the same principles (should) be consistently applied and integrated into all policies, programmes, legislations, as well as judicial decisions affecting the child.” – The Vibes, November 20, 2021
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