The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is pushing to include child pornography, cyber bullying, and an end to whipping for child offenders in the proposed new Child Act.

 

"We have taken into consideration cases of abuse, neglect, and cyber bullying," minister Rohani Abdul Karim said.

 

When asked if the new act would also cover child pornography, she replied: "Yes."

 

Asked further if caning children would be punishable, Rohani clarified what she meant was whipping for convicted juvenile offenders.

 

"We don't want child offenders to be whipped because it may make them vengeful. This in turn may cause them to inflict hurt on others," she said.

 

Instead of whipping, the ministry is proposing that offenders under the age of 18 be sentenced to community service.

 

"After doing several hours of community service such as cleaning toilets at orphanages or cleaning drains, they may feel the need to repent," Rohani ( photo ) said.

She was speaking to reporters at a press conference after the ministry's Hari Raya open house in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Also present at the event was Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and de facto law minister Nancy Shukri.

Besides this, Rohani added that the proposed new act also aims to educate inexperienced parents to be better at childcare.

Her ministry is proposing more than 70 percent changes to the existing Child Act 2001.

 

As such, she said, it would be better to put up a new act altogether, which she hopes can be tabled in Parliament in October this year.

 

The proposal is currently being reviewed by the Attorney-General's Chambers.

 

Rohani said the Women Family and Community Development Ministry will also be adopting a more action oriented approach instead of just issuing statements.

 

"Previously we would advise people, for example, to be careful when reversing their car so they don't accidentally run over their child.

 

"But the next week there would be another similar case. As such we aren't just going to make statements anymore, we will take action," she said.