MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ON ISSUES SUCH AS THE BELLA CASE

Today I held a meeting with the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development YB Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia Amanda Bissex and chairman of Johor Woman, Family and Community Development YB Puan Hajah Khairin-Nisa Ismail at the Royal Johor Polo Club.

During the meeting I have suggested 3 important steps that should be done to ensure that cases like the case of Bella does not happen again :

1. Legislative Amendments: An enhancement on the current laws, such as the Child Act 2001 is needed immediately. This should include aspects of child centre registration, accreditation, assessment, funding and monitoring, to ensure that all operators are operating legally with a sense of public service.

2. Enforcement: The Social Welfare Department (JKM) needs to audit all existing approved childcare centres and quickly close any childcare centres that are not registered with JKM or operating illegally starting with Johor immediately. Legal action should also be taken against the operators/owners of any illegally run establishments.

3. An immediate study also needs to be done on the condition of child care centres starting in Johor commissioned together with guidelines from UNICEF and other independent institutions. The findings of this study should be made public. I will ensure that the suggested improvements are taken seriously and carried out immediately.

I would like to stress that the welfare of children, especially those in shelter homes should always be protected and well taken care of.

Allah Peliharakan Sultan

HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor