PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia today received its first special court to deal with cases involving sexual crimes against children.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who officiated the launch, said the court is also the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
"The special court here will hear cases that occur in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
"God willing, we will set up this (special) court to all states in stages," he said at the Palace of Justice, here.
Also present were the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Chief Justice Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The idea behind the court's establishment was mooted by the prime minister, who had raised it during a seminar on sexual crimes against children in March.
Aimed at fast-tracking the disposal of cases as well as hearing proceedings, Sessions Court judges with expertise in laws relating to children would be appointed to hear cases.
The special court is located at the Annexe building of the Palace of Justice.
It is equipped with infrastructure such as court recording transcription; a waiting room for child witnesses; live video link; child witness screens and disabled-friendly facilities.
Rosmah later officiated the waiting room for vulnerable witnesses.
In addition, the special court would focus on cases such as child pornography, child grooming and child sexual assault in tandem with the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that would be enforced soon.
Najib also suggested the formation of special standard operating procedures as guidelines on how best to handle sexual crimes cases involving children. He hoped the SOPs could be drafted as soon as possible.
To achieve this, he said, a working committee would be formed.
Based on Social Welfare Department statistics, 5,779 cases of sexual abuse against children were recorded from 2010 until 2015 with an average of 963 cases a year, while the police recorded 2,759 rape cases, incest (412 cases), molest (1,423 cases) and unnatural sex (422 cases) between 2015 and 2016 involving victims aged 18 and below.