GOVERNMENT agencies have been urged to work with civil society groups to conduct more awareness campaigns for parents and guardians on legal action that can be taken against those who are negligent and leave their children without proper supervision.

Alliance for Safe Community chairman Lee Lam Thye said parents needed to be educated on the offence which could be prosecuted under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001, as many were still unaware of the existence of the law.

“For example, in western countries, if parents are found guilty of exposing their children to risk due to neglect, they will be imprisoned.

“Malaysia needs to see to what extent the effectiveness of the act is enforced as accidents involving children or minors continue to occur unabated,” he told Bernama recently.

Lee said this when asked to comment on parents and guardians who did not monitor their children’s movements until they were involved in accidents such as legs being stuck on escalators and the ‘basikal lajak’ (modified bicycles) issue.

Section 33 of the Child Act 2001 stipulates that legal action can be taken against parents and guardians for leaving their children without reasonable supervision which could result in a fine not exceeding RM20,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years or both, if convicted.

Meanwhile, crime analyst Kamal Affendi Hashim said the failure of parents to monitor their children’s movements and insensitivity to their child’s condition was a real tragedy that needed to be addressed.

“Parents need to monitor their children’s movements and see what activities they do. This will help reduce the risk of children being involved in unexpected activities while maintaining their safety,” he said. – Bernama, April 19, 2022.