PUTRAJAYA, Oct 24 — Datuk Seri Azalina Othman today launched the updated Special Guidelines for Handling Sexual Crimes Against Children, saying the document could later be gazetted as mandatory procedures when dealing with crimes against minors.

She said the updated guideline, first introduced in 2017, focuses on four main components:

1. Making preliminary reports and investigations more ethical, with the goal of minimising trauma;
2. Making court procedures more child-friendly, including through the use of video recordings and live-links;
3. Appointing witness support or legal guardians to assist victims; and
4. Providing continued psychosocial support and rehabilitation even after trial.

“Even though the guideline is not legally binding, it represents a crucial streamlining of best practices for all related agencies, and provides the window to gazette them as mandatory procedures in the future,” Azalina, the minister overseeing legal affairs at the Prime Minister's Department, said at the launch here.

Also present was Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim. 

The guideline was first introduced in 2017, alongside the tabling and passing of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

The original version covered four main areas — how the police handle and investigate reports of sexual crimes involving minors; court procedures; protection for witnesses and underaged victims; and post-trial support provided by the Welfare Department.

Azalina said the updated guideline will now include provisions for periodic training sessions for judges, investigating officers, deputy public prosecutors, welfare officers and healthcare professionals.

“This is to ensure the implementation of the guidelines stays true to the spirit of child protection,” the minister said.

In March this year, the government enforced the Child Witness (Amendment) Act 2024 as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen safeguards for minors involved in judicial proceedings.

Malaysia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.