A human rights watchdog wants to know why the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry took such a long time to compile a report on Penan women being sexually abused by loggers in Baram, Sarawak.

NONE The Switzerland-based Bruno Manser Fund, an association for the peoples of the rainforest, said it is "disturbing to note that it has taken the Malaysian government a full year to compile this report."

The association, which highlighted the matter last September, said the report has not had any legal consequences for the perpetrators.

"It is high time that the responsible (parties) of the crimes described in the report face the legal consequences of their conduct.

"It would also seem appropriate that such a scandal should have political consequences at the state level," added the organisation in a statement today.

The report, which was made available to the public earlier this week, was released a year after the Bruno Manser Fund launched a campaign against the sexual abuse of Penan girls and women by logging company workers.

Police investigating the case

The association also noted that the report, which contains the results of an investigation conducted by the ministry in November 2008 "contradicted statements by leading Sarawak politicians."

NONE "(This includes) Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu, who had condemned (us) for making the Penans’ allegations of sexual abuse public," it said.

On Sept 15 last year, the Bruno Manser Fund had blamed employees of Samling and Interhill, two logging companies operating in Sarawak's Middle Baram region, for the incident.

Both companies had denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the logging companies whose workers were involved in sexual abuse have been identified and information will be submitted to the police for further action.

According to English daily The Star , the minister also said that several measures were being taken to rehabilitate the indigenous community.

"We will leave it to the police to take the necessary action but we are looking at the rehabilitation of the victims and to make life easier for the community there.

"The safety of the Penan girls and women must be ensured and they must not be put at risk. The government will never condone such a crime although the Penans live away from the capital.

"That is why the government had authorised the report to be made public and for all the relevant ministries to take any necessary action together with the NGOs," Shahrizat was quoted as saying.

According to her, the ministry’s women development department director-general Dr Noorul Ainur Mohd Nur has been assigned to monitor the situation of the indigenous people in Sarawak.

The minister also said the report had been approved by the cabinet last May and is available on the ministry’s website.

Act without delay

Meanwhile, Wanita Gerakan has urged the government to protect the Penan girls and women as they have been exposed to many social problems, besides being raped and molested by timber workers.

Its deputy chief, Ng Siew Lai, said the ministry report should be taken seriously.

"We hope the authorities concerned will not treat the report as nothing urgent, because the Penan girls and women who stay in remote villages need better protection," said Ng in a statement.

Ng said the authorities concerned should help them without delay.

"Every citizen needs protection, irrespective of whether he or she belongs to a majority or minority group," she said, adding those responsible for the crimes should be punished.

"Swift and stern actions are required to punish those who committed the heinous acts," she said.

In another reaction, Ampang member of parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin has urged Shahrizat to step down for her failure to promptly release the Penan rape report to the public.

"It is undeserving of her to head the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. What is her motive for delaying the release of the report to the public?

"I myself had to head to Shahrizat's ministry to get a CD of the report on Sept 8 last year. At that time, neither members of the public nor journalists were allowed to have a copy of the report.

"Shahrizat also did not reply when we asked for it during a parliamentary session last year," said Zuraida, who is also PKR wanita chief.

Zuraida also said that there was no action plan in the report on how to protect the Penan girls as well as meting out punishment for the culprits.

"Shahrizat is not qualified to be minister following one failure after another. I am utterly disappointed with her," she said.