THE names of 4,771 people have been submitted for checking against the registry of child sex offenders since April 1, 2019, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said.

These names were submitted in 279 applications, it said in a parliamentary reply today.

“Based on the latest data, the social services department received 279 applications to check on child sex offenders,” it said.

“The applications, from 2019 till July 2021, involved checks on 4,771 individuals.”

According to the ministry, none of the names submitted for cross-checking were found in the registry, which means none of them has any criminal record for sexual offences against children.

Based on the statistics, Selangor has the highest number of individuals checked, at 1,299, followed by Sarawak (680) and Kedah (657).

The ministry was responding to Hannah Yeoh’s (Segambut-PH) question on the number of applications to check the child sexual offenders registry.

Yeoh, who is a former deputy women, family and community development minister, was instrumental in setting up the registry in Malaysia.

The registry is not made public and access is only allowed by request, with the information sent directly to the applicant.

Yeoh, in the past, has urged parents to use the registry to check on individuals they plan to hire as babysitters, and likewise organisations involved in childcare work.

The ministry said information in the registry is obtained from the court registrar and is updated every three months. – September 29, 2021.