Be more vigilant at crowded public areas, parents, child caretakers reminded

KUCHING (Feb 23): Parents and caregivers are urged to exercise heightened vigilance, especially in crowded public spaces and communal facilities during these festive times.

In making this call, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chief children’s commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said children should be accompanied at all times, particularly when using restrooms or moving away from main congregation areas.

“Child sexual offenders may exploit moments when children are left unattended, regardless of location,” she said in a statement on Saturday, issued in response to a viral social media post shared on Feb 19 by a father, concerning allegation of sexual assault on his seven-year-old son by an unknown individual inside a mosque toilet while attending congregational prayers.

“Many people are deeply disturbed by this incident and empathise with the pain, anger and distress experienced by the child and his family.

“We are informed that the matter is currently under police investigation, and we commend the PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) for their prompt action.

“We hope that the investigation will be conducted thoroughly, and that the perpetrator will be brought to justice under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017,” said Farah, describing this incident as ‘a stark reminder that no place could be presumed entirely safe for children if adequate supervision and safeguards were not in place, including places of worship’.

Farah also called upon administrators of places of worship, including mosque committees, to strengthen child-safety measures.

This includes ensuring that CCTV systems are installed and fully operational in appropriate areas, and that regular safety reminders are delivered by religious leaders to congregants, she pointed out.

She commended mosques that had introduced supervised childcare arrangements during tarawih prayers and encouraged the expansion of such initiatives nationwide as a proactive child-protection measure.

“Protecting children is a shared responsibility that requires constant awareness, collective effort and zero tolerance for abuse,” she added.