NGOs laud launch, suggest mobile courts for interior areas

Extracted from: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/23/ngos-laud-launch-suggest-mobile-courts-for-interior-areas/

Friday, 23 June 2017

NGOs laud launch, suggest mobile courts for interior areas

BY SAMANTHA CHOW

 

samantha@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: The launch of the new Special Criminal Court on sexual crimes against children has been lauded by child rights activists. 

Child rights lawyer and advocate Goh Siu Lin said the speed at which the court was set up showed the Government’s commitment in addressing sexual crimes involving minors. 

Goh, who is also the Kuala Lumpur Bar chairman, suggested setting up mobile courts with the necessary technological infrastructure to reach out to those in the interior areas.

Non-governmental organisation Voice of the Children lawyer and president of child advocacy Sharmila Sekaran echoed the suggestion and said while the new court was located in Putrajaya, the Government must also consider states like Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak where certain areas are difficult to access. 

“Some states are large so if there is only one court then it may be difficult for the child, who may end up spending more than an hour travelling,” Sharmila said.

During the launch yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the special court will be set up in stages in other states. 

Penang Women’s Centre for Change senior advocacy officer Melissa Mohd Akhir said the new court was true to the recommendations of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

“It is a huge milestone and should be consistently applied all over Malaysia,” she added.

She also applauded the facilities used to ensure that the child is protected from seeing the accused. 

“The video link facility ensures that the child does not see the accused. In previous cases that we handled, the children have responded well to it.

“More importantly, the courts should have specialised judges and prosecutors, and also good support services for child witnesses. We need to remind ourselves that the child is the centre,” she added. 

Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) assistant principal director Asst Comm Ong Chin Lan said the court was a sign of progress for the criminal justice system and the rights of the children. 

“It shows the child’s welfare has been taken into consideration,” he said.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/23/ngos-laud-launch-suggest-mobile-courts-for-interior-areas/#VKrhg3Ao4uZKa7kz.99