PUTRAJAYA, Oct 17 — Parents of children who are now placed under the protection of the Social Welfare Department (JKM) following Op Global are required to submit proof of blood ties to claim their child.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this was because she had reason to doubt the validity of relationships between the child and parents in some of the claims.
“If the child is theirs, why are they (children) not with them (parents)? This is the reason for doubt,” she told reporters when met at the Zero Tolerance for Violence@KPWKM Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy 2024 at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Serdang, near here today.
Nancy said applications for the return of the children to their families will be subject to court approval and a health check to ensure they are not victims of sexual crimes.
She said there have been about 200 applications from parents seeking the return of their children who are now placed at several “safe places”.
According to Nancy, there have been about 200 applications from parents seeking the return of their children who are now placed at several safehouses.
“I hope these children can be released soon as we also know how the parents, also the children, feel to be separated,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in a statement today said 560 children, 283 boys and 277 girls, are in safehouses, with JKM granted temporary custody of the children for two months under Section 25(2)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
It said 884 JKM officers were involved in Op Global carried out since September 11, and the department had activated a special line at 03-8323 2190 and 03-8323 2191 to facilitate the channelling of information about the children rescued in Op Global.
— Bernama
