There are 587 children held in local prisons as at Nov 30 this year, a legal officer from the security division of the Prisons Department revealed during a seminar on the Child Act 2001 in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

M Subramaniam said that the children, aged between 14 and 18 years old, are held for protection, rehabilitation and on remand

The Prisons Department, he said, is doing its best to separate children and adult criminals but the lack of infrastructures is hindering such efforts.

"Juveniles should not be placed together with adults in prisons. They should be in an environment which is more child-friendly," he stressed.

On the statistics in the Henry Gurney schools, he disclosed that there are a total of 487 boys out of 537 children there as at Nov 30 this year.

They undergo detention and rehabilitation at the schools for a period of three years. They are taught academically based on the local education system and are also given religious guidance, counselling or vocational courses for the less academic-inclined.

The Henry Gurney schools were established to rehabilitate the moral of juveniles. The schools emphasised on vocational and academic training.

There are five such schools in Malaysia. They are in Batu Gajah, Ayer Keroh, Telok Mas, Kota Kinabalu and Keningau.

Welfare first

Meanwhile, Welfare Services Department assistant director Teoh Kim Lian emphasised that the welfare of the child must come first.

In her paper on child welfare, she stated that it is not easy to balance the child's welfare and the legal aspects associated with it.

In many cases, particularly divorce cases, the child's welfare is either abused or neglected, she added.

Other speakers at the seminar included representatives form the Bar Council, the Police Department and Attorney-General's chambers.

The Child Act 2001 came into force on Aug 1, 2002 to protect both boys and girls under the age of 18.

Under the Section 96 (2) of the act, a child aged 14 years or above shall not be ordered to be imprisoned if he can be dealt with in any way whether by probation, or fine or being sent to an approved school.