Ministry works on guidelines amid welfare home horror

KUCHING: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is working on guidelines to prevent a repeat of the exploitation of children at welfare homes which shocked the nation recently.

Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the ministry has formulated internal plans on handling such cases but did not elaborate on the grounds that such issues require the collaboration of multiple agencies.

But she stressed that the safety of children was the ministry’s main agenda, adding that their well-being remained the top priority.

“This is a situation we have never encountered before. We need to wait for the police investigation to be completed before we can take appropriate action if such incidents occur again.

“As for the specific guidelines, addressing cases like this involves not just us but also other parties.

“The police are the main authority, which is why we can’t disclose much at this stage. We are only assisting in the process,” she said.

She told reporters this after attending the Santuni Madani Community Programme in conjunction with the ministry’s Kembara Kasih 2024 at Masjid Nurir Rahmani in Kampung Santubong on Saturday (Sept 14).

Nancy, who is also Santubong MP said over 200 officers from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) under her ministry were involved in the effort to assist the children rescued from 20 shelter homes linked to the ‘Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holding’ (GISBH) in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

She highlighted that the officers involved are experienced in child care and have worked alongside the Ministry of Health (MoH) to conduct health screenings for the rescued children.

“For now, this is all we can do to help. Our priority is ensuring the children are safe, well-cared for, and that their needs are met.

“Besides health screenings conducted by MoH, we are also providing counselling services.

“These are some of the support services we are offering, in addition to ensuring their general well-being,” she added.

Nancy also expressed her gratitude to the police for their efforts in resolving the case and thanked non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for their concern and assistance.

She said several parties have contacted her to offer help, but that for now, external assistance is not required for the children involved.