KUALA LUMPUR: Child advocates have questioned a proposed new law that imposes stiffer punishment on parents who neglect their children, and are urging the government to look closely into why such cases happen.

They are also calling for more awareness programmes to educate parents on raising children, as well as providing options for childcare and other forms of support, especially for underprivileged households.

There are times when parents may be unaware that their conduct is tantamount to child neglect.

Sharmila Sekaran, who chairs Voice of the Children (VoC), said not every case of child neglect is due to an intention to cause harm, as in the case of a single parent with kidney failure who required dialysis treatment.

In such an instance, the parent may have little choice but to leave a minor unattended at home, and such action should not be punished.

Malaysian Child Resource Institute executive director Ruth Liew said that instead of resorting to punitive measures, there should be more awareness programmes for parents and guardians on how to take care of children responsibly.

“The programmes can focus on day-to-day responsibilities of parents and their overall roles. There should be carrots to reward parents for being good parents,” she said on Putrajaya’s plan to replace the existing Child Act with a new legislation that will cover parental neglect of minors.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said recently that more than 70% of the current law should be amended to address parental neglect of children, on the heels of news reports of minors being left to fend for themselves.

The new law will impose heavier penalties on parents who are found guilty.

Under the current Child Act, a guilty parent can be fined up to RM20,000 or be jailed up to 10 years, or both.

This is the punishment facing Mohd Shaikfu Adli Mohd Afendi, 34, the father of a seven-year-old girl who was found malnourished in an apartment in Sungai Dua, Penang.

Liew said punitive measures are not the solution.

Instead, awareness should be created for parents on the need to bring up children in a non-abusive manner, as well as respecting children as individuals, she said.

The Welfare Department, she said, also has a role to play by visiting households with vulnerable children to ensure they are not neglected by parents who are busy making ends meet.

The economic reality in urban areas for lower-income homes, where both parents work long hours, may be the reason why children are left to fend for themselves.

Protect & Save the Children executive director, Nagasayee Malathy, said the punitive approach has to be combined with preventive measures.

This includes parental counselling, skills building, professional support for parents with special needs children, income-generation programmes for single parents and providing mental healthcare.

In the Sungai Dua case of the Standard One girl, her stepmother claimed that the child was possessed by evil spirits.

Nagasayee supported some element of punishment as this would show that Malaysia takes child neglect and abuse seriously.

“This would [enable] children’s rights to progress and to develop a next generation who is socially responsible,” she said.

Sharmila said punitive action alone will not have any effect.

“Penalties are important, but must be accompanied by awareness and support because sometimes parents do not deliberately neglect their children but may be forced to do so due to unavoidable circumstances,” she said.

Instead, she said parents in these situations should be made aware of the options available, such as getting trustworthy neighbours to look after the children for a while. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 23, 2015.