ISSUES of persecution, exploitation, sexual crimes and violation of human rights against children require swift action, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said.

She said in a statement that the establishment of an independent children’s commission branch under the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) as agreed by the cabinet will carry out four key functions.

The four functions of the commission are:

i. Promote awareness and education on children’s rights to the government and the public;

ii. Advise and assist the government in enacting legislation, administrative instructions and procedures, and recommending actions to be taken;

iii. Advise the government on international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international related agreements;

iv. Hold inquiries and conduct investigations into complaints of violations of children’s rights.

Azalina expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the cabinet for agreeing to set up the children’s commission.

Yesterday, Anwar said the government had agreed to set up an autonomous branch of the Human Rights Commission specifically for children.

The prime minister said the decision was made after considering the mistreatment of children and the various social issues they face.

He also said that the name of the commissioner will be announced later.

On this, Azalina said that the commissioner will lead the process of drafting a specific act for the commission during their term of appointment. – January 19, 2023.