STATEMENT: ON AGENDA ITEM 68(a)(b): RIGHTS OF CHILDREN, 8 OCTOBER 2019

STATEMENT BY

MR. MOHAMMAD AL HAFIZ BIN MOHD NADZIR

DELEGATE

PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

ON AGENDA ITEM 68(a)(b): RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

NEW YORK, 8 OCTOBER 2019

Mr. Chair,

1. Malaysia aligns itself with the statement delivered by Myanmar on behalf of ASEAN.

2. Protecting the rights and wellbeing of our children has always been one of Malaysia’s top priorities. We believe that it is absolutely necessary for our children to have a secure future. As such, Malaysia remains committed and will spare no effort to continue investing in the promotion of the rights of children.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Malaysian Government enacted the Child Act 2001, contains 4 core principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), namely non-discrimination; best interest of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. The Act was amended in 2016 to further improve the protection of children’s rights in the country. In 2017, the Malaysian Government introduced several measures to better protect our children:

1. the establishment of Child Activity Centers to provide support services to help families overcome their social problems;
2. introduction of Child Helpline service to cater for all complaints related to children;
3. integration of children with disabilities into the society through Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR), a strategy within community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities and social integration of people with disabilities (PWDs);
4. introduction of 6 sub categories of learning disabilities, namely Global development delay; Down Syndrome; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; autism; intellectual; and specific learning disability, which is displayed on the PWD card to facilitate children with learning disabilities to ensure they are not left behind in education; and
5. introduction of the Zero Reject Policy in special education to ensure that no special needs child is turned away from national schools.

4. In addition, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) appoints a Children’s Commissioner to monitor the implementation of the Child Act.

Mr. Chair,

5. In addressing sexual crimes against children, Malaysia also enacted the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017. Subsequently, a Special Court for Sexual Crimes against Children was established in June 2017, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. In 2019, Malaysia piloted a diversion programme for children in conflict with the law to divert them away from the existing criminal justice system. Malaysia has piloted the Child Friendly City initiative to create safe and inclusive cities for children.

6. Malaysia also recognises the importance of engaging relevant stakeholders including the civil society. Malaysia had recently held the National Consultation for the Mid-Term Review of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children.  We will continue engaging civil society in the formulation of our policies.

7. Malaysia will continue to work closely with international organisations such as UNICEF in further promoting and protecting children’s rights including on prevention, advocacy, intervention, reporting and giving support services.

8. To this end, Malaysia stands ready to share our best practices and to learn from other relevant partners in promoting and safeguarding the rights of the children.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.