Govt mulls legal rep for children
> Their voices need to be heard in court, says Rohani
PUTRAJAYA: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is mooting the idea of providing legal representation for court cases involving children.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, said at present, the voices of children were relayed to the court through reports put together by social workers.
“The ministry feels that it is timely for us to look into this possibility, as other countries like New Zealand have done so,” Rohani said after officiating at a forum on legal representation for children yesterday.
Such a move is necessary to ensure the voices of child victims are heard, in order to protect their interests, especially in cases involving sexual crimes, she said.
Usually, parents of perpetrators are heard in court, whereas the voices of the children are only treated as evidence.
Asked if the ministry would make it compulsory for all court cases involving children to have legal representation, the minister said the matter had to be deliberated further before any decision can be made.
Meanwhile, Rohani revealed that more than 300 cases have been solved at the Special Court on Sexual Crimes Against Children since its establishment in July.
“None of the cases brought to the special court have been struck out and most of the cases have been settled with sufficient evidence.
“Previously, a lot of cases were dismissed because the victims were traumatised when they saw the perpetrators during court proceedings.”