Child Protection
Child Sexual Abuse Case in Kota Marudu
Early September 2019, SAWO was contacted by Teacher Q, the then warden of a primary school hostel in Kota Marudu after she saw SAWO’s pamphlet in the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital when she was accompanying two of her students to do a medical examination.
In March 2019, the two students disclosed to her that they were molested, assaulted, and raped by their family members since they were small. The students staying in the same primary school hostels were from villages in the surrounding areas and Teacher Q later found that many more of the students under her care in the school hostel also have similar experiences. She immediately reported this to her superiors, the teacher in charge of student affairs, and to the principal who, after talking to a few students, told them to keep the “evidence” if they were raped again in the future.
Not satisfied with this action by her superiors, Teacher Q organized a health talk later in August of the same year for the school hostel. It was during this talk that both the students disclosed to the doctors who immediately called the Child Protection Officer from the Welfare Department of Kota Marudu who brought the students to make a police report.
The case was brought to court in November 2019 and the accused perpetrator has been charged under Section 377CA of the Penal code. The trial hearing started in January 2020 and SAWO has provided support to both the children and Teacher Q. Despite the most recent state election and the Covid-19 pandemic, this case is still ongoing.
In March 2019, the two students disclosed to her that they were molested, assaulted, and raped by their family members since they were small. The students staying in the same primary school hostels were from villages in the surrounding areas and Teacher Q later found that many more of the students under her care in the school hostel also have similar experiences. She immediately reported this to her superiors, the teacher in charge of student affairs, and to the principal who, after talking to a few students, told them to keep the “evidence” if they were raped again in the future.
Not satisfied with this action by her superiors, Teacher Q organized a health talk later in August of the same year for the school hostel. It was during this talk that both the students disclosed to the doctors who immediately called the Child Protection Officer from the Welfare Department of Kota Marudu who brought the students to make a police report.
The case was brought to court in November 2019 and the accused perpetrator has been charged under Section 377CA of the Penal code. The trial hearing started in January 2020 and SAWO has provided support to both the children and Teacher Q. Despite the most recent state election and the Covid-19 pandemic, this case is still ongoing.
Bringing the Child Commissioner of SUHAKAM to Kota Marudu
To ensure that the situation of children in Kota Marudu will change for the better, SAWO brought this case to the attention of the Child Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), Prof. Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal. SAWO worked with her staff to organise a fact-finding mission from the 14th to 16th September 2020, in Kota Marudu and to hold consultations with the district education department and the headmaster of the local primary school. The SUHAKAM Team also met with Teacher Q from the above case to get more information about the situation.
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An awareness session was also held with community leaders to educate them on the rights of children and the responsibility of parents and adults in the community to protect children and to report child abuse cases to the right authorities. We hope that this is a start to a longer-term engagement with the education department by the Child Commissioner to enhance and strengthen the role of teachers in protecting the children under their care.
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