SIS calls for independent Children's Commission

Summary

• With the rise in sexual offences in Kelantan, Sisters in Islam urges the government to create an independent Children’s Commission - free from political control and focused only on the best interests of children.

• The NGO also pans authorities for blaming it on ‘moral decay’ alone, adding that the problem is a symptom of a larger issue.

With the police reporting a rise in sexual offences in Kelantan, Sisters in Islam (SIS) urged the government to create an independent Children’s Commission - free from political control and focused only on the best interests of children.

The NGO pointed out that the current children’s commissioner under Suhakam lacks independence, resources, and public visibility.

“Civil society groups have long demanded the establishment of a fully independent Children’s Commission, and we stand in full support of that call.

“This is not just a bureaucratic upgrade. It is about building a mechanism with teeth, capable of acting without fear or favour, even when state narratives are uncomfortable,” SIS said in a statement today.

On April 9, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said the number of rape and incest cases in the state has increased but investigations showed that many were consensual sex.

He said 252 cases were reported in 2024 compared to 206 cases in 2023, an increase of 22.3 percent, and what is more worrying is that some of those involved were as young as 10 years old.

Among the factors contributing to this situation are family conflicts, parental neglect, underage love affairs, and easy accessibility of pornographic materials on mobile phones, he added.

In a response, Menteri Besar Nassuruddin Daud said that while the state has rolled out various initiatives to curb social ills, it would not succeed without active parental involvement.

“We have done our best, but if parents fail to monitor their children, these efforts will be hard to realise.

“Each individual must safeguard themselves and their family members from the fires of hell,” PAS’ official mouthpiece Harakahdaily quoted him as saying.

Address real crisis

On that note, SIS urged the state government and authorities not to deflect and blame the problem on “moral decay” or poor family values alone.

It said the ideological obsession with “moral decay” distracts the public from the real crisis - a state that polices skirts and concerts more than it protects children.

“State leaders repeat the same script that we need stronger family values, but what about state responsibility?

“What about the systems that failed to prevent this abuse in the first place?

“What happens when the abuse is happening inside the family? Where is the protection then?” it asked.

Taking po shots at the Kelantan government, SIS said the rise of sexual offences is a symptom of a deeper ideological problem - which involves ideology, institution and culture.

“We are dealing with a society that rewards silence, delegitimises knowledge, and sees morality as control rather than compassion,” it added.

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