1.

0 Introduction

If people nowadays have been well educated, shouldnt we be able to ensure that everyone on
the planet can understand that abusing children is something immoral? The child abuse has
been an issue that is quite known in Malaysia. What we can observe that actually, a child need
a safe and secure environment that they can call home and thus, optimum development
depends on the interaction of positive environmental influences and this thing has to be done
by the role of government. Point in fact, is the roles of government in present are really
effective to overcome this matter? However, its effect on mankind is a debatable issue until
today. In this situation, improvement had to be done in the role of government policy such as
improving punishment, spread the role through websites, and exposing the picture of
punishment.

2.0 Background Paragraph

Approximately 40 million children globally are estimated to suffer abuse each year (World
Health Organization (WHO), 2001). No doubt that negative experiences at an early age have
been shown to have long term consequences for children, including changes in brain structure.
In the examination of a child, who allegedly died from intentional violence, the nature of the
injuries and the cause of death are usually quite evident. Specifically, The Committee on the
Rights of the Child recognized the Government of Malaysia's efforts to prevent and respond to
abused children. The introduction of the Child Act in 2001 established the duty of all citizens to
report cases of abuse and neglect, as well as providing shelter and counseling to child victims.
However, The Committee noted that implementation of the law needed to be strengthened to

ensure that abuser is appropriately punished and that court systems are made child-friendly to
reduce the stigma of disclosing abuse.

3.0 Body Paragraph

A good way to prevent a child from being abuse is improve the punishment on the abuser of
children. The old punishment from Policy National Child Protection (Children Act : 2001), only
highlight that the children abuser will be fined RM 5000 or jailed for 2 years and above or both.
It seems like abuser did not afraid of the policy because it is an unchanged policy since 2001
and the reality is, it has been thirteen years with the same policy. The statistics of child abuse
are rising from years until now. As we could see, the punishment seems light for an
unacceptable act such as abusing an innocent child. What could be done by a child? They could
not even fight back, yet, the punishment for the abuser can be assumed as a slap on the wrist
for their act. So, the punishment should be improved such as sentence to a lifetime prison,
hang to death or fined RM 500, 000. The punishment that legislated by the government needed
some changes and assuredly, it has to make it fair enough for justice of a child that have been
abuse. In fact, United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), have spoken out about this matter in
their articles about Child Law in Malaysia, that is the punishment need to be stronger and
particular than before.

The government needs to spread the role through websites, as another way to prevent
child abuse. What could be done is, the government policy has to interfere and spread in
websites by improving their technical resources. As the research done, according to
Governments Website, some official government web such as Social Welfare, did not usually

update their website and the latest update is on 2013 including UNICEF Communications online
that is the latest update about the statistics was in 2009. The word interfere means that the
government need to make serious effort through their websites or collaborations websites to
ensure children safety like spread the news about suspects in every cases occur, spread the
pictures of abuser, latest statistics about child abuse and latest policy update. Therefore, The
Child Protection Policy that is focused on aspects of prevention, advocacy, intervention,
reporting and giving support services in protecting children can be spread through
governments websites so, the societies will understand that children is protected with law.
Moreover, it also provides standard guidelines and procedures in areas related to child
protection online. On the other hand, UNICEF Malaysia Online that is one of the government
collaboration associations had always updated about the effect of abusing on childrens mental
and physical in the future. In addition, certain types of abuse may cause long-term injuries, for
example according to

when the brain is directly damaged as in the Shaken Baby

Syndrome. According to Irene Cheah Guat Sim (2010), the existing networking of government
agencies for child protection can be the focal points at community and state levels for child
abuse prevention.
Exposing the picture of the effect from the punishment is also the other governments
solution to prevent child abuse in Malaysia. In this country, people did not afraid of the
government policy as they never pictured the punishment because it was never been exposed
to. According to Siti Aishah, (2012), a newspaper writer in her article named Childrens Fate,
there is none and never been exposed of any images about the punishments effect on the
abuser. Our government policy has prevented the punishment effect from being exposed to
societies because of law. Despite that, the government should spread the pictures so people
would be afraid to abusing children. In addition, these cannot be solved unless the underlying

developmental issues are seriously addressed and our countries governments are more
concerned. These are clearly an issue, and have to be addressed if we are committed to further
the promotion and protection the rights of the children.

4.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, in preventing child abuse, government needs to improve their role such as
improving punishment, spread their role through websites, and exposing pictures of the effect
of punishment. Meanwhile the statistics of the Malaysian Royal Police (PDRM), show that the
children abuse, molestation and rape are on the increase, from 2236 cases in 2005, to 5744 in
2008. For the first seven months of 2009, 2193 cases were reported to PDRM. This is frightened
as we are already in millennium year and societies must be well educated enough to
understand that abusing any child is against law. Government should take this matter seriously
and upgrade their policy as the present one is still neglecting children. The children nowadays
are not fully protected and they did not understand what happened to them exactly. As a result,
the child suffers in silence, and as they grow up, they maybe act the same way they have been
through.

Source

Irene Cheah Guat Sim et. al. (2010). Child Maltreatment Prevention Readiness Assessment in
Malaysia. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from the University Of Malaya Web site : http://
www.who.int/child/malaysia_rap_cm.pdf