KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 ― The proposed law to create an independent Children's Commission is expected to be tabled in Parliament in the next Dewan Rakyat sitting scheduled to start in October, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said today.
Azalina, who is minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of law and institutional reforms, said she was “delighted” to receive recommendations via a statement this morning from civil society organisations and child rights advocates for an independent Children's Commission in the government's planned Children's Commission Bill.
Azalina lauded the recommendations as support for the government's work to introduce laws to protect children.
“This case illustrates how civil society is backing the government's legislative efforts, aligning with the 'all of society' approach. Safeguarding children's protection and well-being is a shared duty among Malaysians, extending beyond the government,” she said in a written response.
Earlier today, Dr Amar-Singh HSS who is a child-disability rights activist and an adviser to the National Early Childhood Intervention Council (NECIC) and 11 other activists representing various civil society organisations issued a statement with recommendations for an independent Children's Commission's composition, scope of work, functions and powers.
The child rights activists also said the Children's Commission should have the power to make policy changes and require action to be taken within specific timeframes instead of being a commission limited to coordinating and without powers for enforcement, and that its annual report should be tabled to Parliament and ministries be required to act upon the commissions' decisions and recommendations.
In her response, Azalina said Malaysia must establish its “national integrity by championing the rights of every child”.
“The Madani Government is committed to upholding children's rights and recognises the significance of transparency and an independent oversight body like the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC). By ensuring the safety of our children, we are safeguarding our nation's future,” she said.
Azalina said the Bill to form an independent Children's Commission ― otherwise known as the Office of the Children's Commissioner ― was prepared after work done such as engagement with child commissioners in other countries.
“After various engagements with key stakeholders, knowledge exchange sessions with child commissioners in different jurisdictions, and in-depth research, the Children’s Commission of Malaysia Bill has been drafted in hopes of being brought to Parliament in the October 2023 parliamentary sitting.
“I am looking forward to a positive outcome and will continue to engage all stakeholders in ensuring the establishment of an independent OCC that will serve to uphold the rights of all children in Malaysia,” she said.
The Dewan Rakyat’s next meeting is currently scheduled from October 9 to November 30, while the Dewan Negara is set to meet on November 27 to December 14. These will be the final parliamentary meetings of the year.
Prof Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal was in 2019 appointed as Malaysia's first Children's Commissioner for three years, while Universiti Malaya senior law lecturer Farah Nini Dusuki was on March 8 this year appointed to the role for a three-year term.
The OCC is currently placed under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), but Azalina was reported saying on July 31 that the OCC has to be taken out from Suhakam as the latter mostly handles human rights matters and the OCC has to look beyond human rights.
Azalina was reported saying that the OCC must be independent and not be a government agency, to enable it to monitor and assist government agencies in coming up with the best practices for children to protect their rights.
At that time, she had said the Bill to make the OCC independent was almost ready.
In a statement on January 19, Azalina thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet for agreeing to set up the Children's Commission as an independent statutory body to protect children, stating that the commission's functions will include promoting awareness and educating the government and the public on children's rights.
She had also said the commission's functions would include holding inquiries and investigation complaints on violations of children's rights; advise and assist the government in making laws, administrative directives, procedures and recommending actions to be taken; and advise the government about international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other related international agreements.
