The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) will recommend that the Social Welfare Department set up a special task force to oversee registration of street children to prevent mistakes such as that made in August, when a teenage Malaysian girl was sent to the Philippines.

Suhakam commissioner Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan said the move would ensure that an estimated 4,000 street children in Kota Kinabalu are provided with some form of welfare assistance by the department.

"If these children are not given any assistance or training, social problems may arise later. The task force should get the particulars of the children or their families, especially if they (their parents) are illegal immigrants," said Hamdan who is today completing a five-day investigation into the situation of street children in Kota Kinabalu.