Govt targets 100 legal companions next year

SHAH ALAM: The government targets to station 100 legal companions for child sexual abuse cases at all 22 branches of the Legal Aid Department ( LAD) nationwide next year.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said, to ensure the smoothness of the programme, LAD would appoint lawyers from the Malaysian Bar Council as LAD panel lawyers to act as legal companions.

“The lawyers are selected from among those with background and vast experience in handling crime cases especially sexual crimes involving children.

“The legal companions will provide legal consultations to the victims because often in such cases the victims are ignorant of their rights..why they have to go to the police station, to the hospital. We make them understand the legal requirements,” she told reporters.

She was met after launching the Legal Aid (Amendment) Act 2017 at the Law Faculty of Universiti Teknologi Mara ( UiTM) here today, which was also attended by LAD director- general Datuk Haini Hassan, Prime Minister’s Department Legal Affairs Division director- general Datuk Jalil Marzuki, and faculty dean Datuk Prof Dr Rahmat Mohamad.

Azalina also presented letters of appointment as panel lawyers for the legal companions to six lawyers. Providing the service of legal companions to juvenile victims of sexual offences was among the new concepts which was introduced in the act that would be enforced on Dec 1. — Bernama