CHILDREN in conflict with the law must be subject to existing legislation, such as the Child Act 2001 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said.

Referring to the report on the detention of a 15-year-old girl believed to have stabbed her newborn baby last Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement that the Social Welfare Department had taken immediate action by providing adequate intervention using a psychosocial approach for the welfare of the teen.

“Throughout the minor’s time in police custody, whether in the lockup or hospital, the department, through the District Social Welfare Office, had made visits and channelled appropriate assistance, including psychological services.

“The mother of the teen has also been given counselling and early intervention to ensure the emotional stability of the family facing this challenging situation,” it said.

In the incident on Tuesday morning, a newborn baby boy was found dead with injuries to the chest, believed to have been stabbed with a sharp object, at a house in Felcra Seri Bandi, Chukai in Kemaman.

Kemaman police chief Hanyan Ramlan reportedly said the baby was delivered by a 15-year-old at her home, with the help of a friend, who then rushed to a nearby clinic to report the baby’s birth.

Commenting further, the ministry said the holistic approach, through sexual and reproductive health education, awareness and counselling as well as advisory services for women who were undergoing unwanted pregnancies, needed to be enhanced to prevent such occurrences.

According to the ministry, various initiatives have been implemented with civil society groups by providing baby hatches to prevent cases of baby dumping and to ensure abandoned babies get family care and love through fostering applications.

Apart from that, the ministry also provides immediate protection services through four Taman Seri Puteri care centres for children under 18 and three Sinar Kasih care centres to provide immediate care and protection to unwed pregnant women and their babies.

The ministry called on Malaysians to continue to instil a sense of love for family and appreciate children as a gift from God.

In the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia, the ministry hoped that the community will be the “eyes and ears” of the government and cultivate a caring attitude towards local neighbourhood issues, so that they can continue to report any such incidents that occur in their respective residential areas to the authorities.

“People are also urged to report directly to Talian Kasih at 15999 and Talian WhatsApp at 019-2615999, which operate 24 hours. The public can also lodge a report at 108 District Social Welfare Offices nationwide or any nearby police stations,” the statement added. – Bernama, February 15, 2022.