Child abuse dominates headlines again. This time with Syafiah Humairah and Hareswarral’s death. These two tragedies are just continuation of child abuse cases that unfortunately end in death. The main question is, are we nearer finding an effective solution than we were when we were sensitized to the problem when it first hit the public agenda in 1989? That year, the death of 17-month-old Norshafiqah Maswari shocked the Malaysian nation, and the fact that her injuries were afflicted under the care of a child minder was cause for concern. Enough concern to have Datuk Syed Hamid Albar, the Law Minister (as he was then) to study a proposal to make the death penalty mandatory for those convicted of causing the death of children through abuse.
Soon after the Law Minister’s announcement, baby Balasundram was bashed to death by his mother’s boyfriend. This was followed by two year old Afiq who died after being brutally abused by his 28-year-old father in 1991. These are a few of the incidents which were highlighted by the media, and fortunately, it was these reported cases which acted as the catalyst in prompting the government to introduce the Child Protection Act in 1991.
This Act is an epitome of Malaysian legislative prowess for it has transcended the boundaries of a mere description of the circumstances in which a child is in need of protection to a reasoned definition of the major aspects of child abuse itself. Since the introduction of this Act, and later the improved Child Act, 2001 which is a consolidation of three previous laws on issues relating to juvenile justice, namely the Juvenile Courts Act 1947, Women and Young Girls Protection Act 1973 and Child Protection Act 1991, numerous actions have been taken in an effort to curb child abuse.
The Law established the National Council for the Protection of Children. The Council is responsible for the design of a management system to report cases of children in need of protection and develop programs to educate the public on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Child Protection Teams are set up to coordinate locally based services to families and children in need of protection.
So far, Malaysian society has become more conscious of this social problem. However, it is sad to note that recent cases indicate that other kinds of action need to be done as well. Using the current legal mechanism seems to be too late. Engaging religious leaders by using the “inside out” approach to assist the current mechanism would be another alternative to reduce child abuse.
Why religious leaders? First, child abuse is nowadays being highlighted as an undesirable phenomenon of modern-day stressful living. It is one of the indicators that our traditional values are being eroded. The government’s aim to prosper without sacrificing the values we grew up with and to share them with our children is noble and should not be overlooked.
Religious leaders’ moral authority and their vast constituencies make them uniquely powerful allies for children. Religious groups should unite around this common cause: the protection of children from violence of all kinds.
There is a dire need now to strengthen family values, as the present progress in Malaysia has created influences which threaten the foundations within a family. Child abuse is a “cancer” eating into our Malaysian society. Unless and until we deal with the root problem, there will always be child abuse.
Secondly, it is relevant in the context of serious commitment made by religious leaders in ensuring propagation of values in all spheres of life. For example in 2006, the Eighth World Assembly of Religions for Peace endorsed the Declaration on Violence against Children commits religious and faith communities to confront violence against children and protect children in their communities.
It is interesting to highlight that the endorsed Declaration states that these religious leaders find strong consensus across their religious traditions about the inherent dignity of every person, including children. This requires that they reject all forms of violence against children, protect and promote the sanctity of life in every stage of a child’s development. They also believe that religious communities must be part of the solution to eradicating violence against children, and therefore commit themselves to take leadership in their religious communities and the broader society.
Thirdly, religious communities are uniquely positioned to apply their areas of strength to confront and prevent violence against children. These areas include consciousness raising, the empowerment of children, and inter- and intra- faith actions. For example, religious communities, working with adults, can promote and strengthen non-violent approaches to parenting. In the Malaysian context, Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development is reported collaborating with UNICEF to promote zero tolerance on violence against children. These include reviewing existing pre-marriage course and parenting training modules to include information and education to prevent violence, exploitation and abuse of children.
It has been widely accepted that curbing child abuse requires a combined effort. Concerted effort by all parties, from neighbours to government agencies, in promoting a multi-agency approach in addressing the problem has been well placed. However, religious leaders have been left out. To be part of the team, multi-agency training for religious leaders should be organized first to ensure things move fast. Manpower at various levels of this group should also be increased.
Within the religious communities itself, specific long term solution targeted by these religious leaders would be to build up the people’s inner strength by inculcating religious and moral values. One of the most effective ways would be through life-long learning. Couples wanting to marry should have pre-marriage counseling and periodic marriage counseling conducted by religious leaders in the course of their married life. This should be made available within the community. Religious groups have a part to play in organizing workshops and training sessions on topics related to parenting, and to be held within the community.
These sensitization programs should go beyond Friday sermons. They should play a more proactive role by using the new media because it covers a wide range of society and is easily accessible to that IT-savvy community. They should assist in initiating more creative television programmes in order to increase public awareness from their religious perspective. As leaders of influence, it is important to educate the people in view of the increasing number of child abuse cases because the hands of law are far too short.