Malaysia - Making it safe for our children

When it comes to the safety of children, one can never play it too safe especially when the kids are out of their home environment.

Taking the shopping mall as an example, play therapist Chris Ng poses the question: "What if your child were to get lost (in the mall)? Is there a designated shop or office which is a safe place with someone in charge to help?"

The question is even more pertinent as parents these days are increasingly relying on non-family institutions such as childcare centres to look after their kids while they are at work.

Before entrusting their children into the care of these places, parents need to ask questions such as what their rules are on safety, and if the staff have the necessary training and knowledge of children's rights, Ng advises.

This is when he brings up the importance on the part of all concerned with the safety of children, including the management of shopping malls, which are very family-based venues, and childcare centres, to adopt a child protection policy (CPP).

As long as children are part of one's organisation, one should adopt the policy which, although not mandated by the Government, is needed to hold the parties responsible for the child's safety accountable, he says.

Having a CPP in place, he stresses, ensures there is a "checklist" that the organisation can refer to when required.

While there is no "hard and fast" rule on the contents of a CPP, there is a template that organisations can follow.

This is the National CPP provided by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and includes a mission and vision statement, a statement of commitment and behavioural protocols.

It also contains points on recruitment and screening of staff, procedures to follow when handling abuse allegations, communication with and about children as well as training, evaluation and monitoring.

The CPP outlines child protection principles that are consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Child Act 2001. It focuses on advocacy, prevention, support services and research and development aspects for the protection of children.

Ng, who is embarking on a training programme on the CPP, says it is more than just about ensuring that the infrastructure is safe for children.

"The makcik down the road who is a babysitter, even she needs to be aware of protection issues," he says, adding that parents need to be advocates of the CPP to make sure their child is safe.

Conversely, he says, a CPP could help those working in an organisation to know what to do if they suspect that a child is being abused.

In the case of shelters, something seemingly innocent like allowing children to be photographed or meeting donors can be highlighted as a cause for concern, Ng says.

Currently, training for staff of institutions such as shelters is being done by various organisations including Childline Malaysia in conjunction with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Malaysia and the Selangor Welfare Council.

Unicef Malaysia senior child protection specialist Phenny Kakama says a CPP is critical for a strong, cohesive and safe society.

"It helps to articulate the preventive and responsive measures that need to be in place to protect children from violence and harm," he says. "A sound policy will also establish the procedures and mechanisms needed to deal with affected children."

Unicef, says Kakama, collaborates with the Government, civil society organisations, corporate partners and other stakeholders to disseminate the CPP.

"Unicef advocates initiatives to strengthen existing national policies and legislation on child protection and juvenile justice," he says.

In addition, Unicef also supports initiatives for strengthening social welfare or child protection systems such as development of social work competency standards and training of social workers, and provides training for child rights NGOs.

Ng himself is undergoing a training programme conducted by the Welfare Department.

The training educates both management and carers on the need for a CPP in their places as well as understanding children's rights.

Rumah Ozanam in Selangor is among the shelters that are now drawing up their own CPP.

According to Datin Elsie Das, board member and chairman of education at Rumah Ozanam, the CPP is very useful because it defines the protocols and standards that are in the best interest of the child.

Elsie, a play therapist, adds that a CPP would help to prevent incidents such as punishing children by making them stand under the sun.

Funding has been provided to 10 homes (in Selangor) to formulate their individual CPP, reveals Elsie, who also heads the shelter homes portfolio of the Selangor Welfare Council.

The homes have been given three months to draw up a draft of the CPP, which should be ready for endorsement and implementation after six months.

For Rumah Ozanam, the CPP will iron out protocols for staff and volunteer training, among others.

In line with their corporate social responsibility efforts, corporations such as Sime Darby Bhd have already adopted initiatives to ensure an environment that is safe for children in their operations.

Sime Darby launched their initiative in March 2010 together with their "Developing a Child Protection Policy" booklet.

Audrey Edwards

The Star/Asia News Network

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