PUTRAJAYA: The three children who were abandoned in their house in Larkin Perdana in Johor Baru, will be under the care of Social Welfare Department for 30 days to allow the authorities to conduct investigations.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said the three siblings, a boy and two girls, were temporarily placed at a child protection centre in Johor Baru.
“ The department will take care of the children until investigations are completed. We need to probe to see if there are any elements of negligence or abuse.
“If there are such elements, the children will continue to be under the care of the department and legal action can be taken against the parents. If not, we will return them to their family,” she said after launching the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia – L’Oreal Women in Business programme, here, today.
A photo of the three children, aged two, four and six – who were left unattended in their room, went viral on social media on Saturday. They were allegedly neglected by their parents who went out to work.
The children were taken by the department after a neighbour lodged a report claiming they were abandoned by their parents.
The parents, however, claimed that they had been “set up” by their neighbour. The children’s father claimed that during the incident, he and his wife had attended a course at a factory in Gelang Patah and had left three of their four children under the care of a neighbour.
Rohani said the ministry and police were investigating all aspects including the allegations by the parents.
Social Welfare Department director-general Datuk Zulkiply Ramli said the parents were allowed to visit the children but would have to go through strict procedures.
“They will have to go through the department first if they want to see their children. It won’t be that easy. It depends on the situation and reasons for the visit.
“Even if the children have been returned to the family, they will still be monitored by the department to ensure that they are taken care of,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johor Welfare Department director Datuk Daud Arbah said the department received a report on the three children via the ministry’s Kasih line on Aug 2.
He said the department went to the premises the following day and found the siblings in the room without adult supervision.
“The neighbour made the report but we do not have information whether she was the one who spread the picture of the kids.
“Our initial investigation showed that the father went out to look for a job. He had asked the neighbour to look after the children briefly while he was away. We found out that the neighbour was not the babysitter or caretaker of the children,”
“We understand that the mother did not live with the children,” he said when contacted.