KUALA LUMPUR: Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) Children's Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said negligent parents and guardians should be held accountable for their failure to fulfill their role as guardians of children.
This comes following the death of two teenagers after they collided with each other while performing bicycle stuntstoddler who drowned after a three-wheeled bicycle she was riding with her cousins fell into an irrigation canal.
Farah Nini said, according to Section 31(1)(a) of the Children's Act 2001, parents or guardians who neglect their children or act negligently in a way that may cause the child to suffer physical injury or who allow their child to be neglected, may if convicted, be fined not more than RM50,000 or imprisoned for not more than 20 years or both.
In addition, under Section 39(5) of the Road Transport Act 1987, parents or guardians who cause or allow their children under the age of 16 to drive a motor vehicle, if found guilty, may be fined not more than RM2,000 or jailed for not more than six months or both.
"The deaths of the children were not just accidents or fated, because it could have beed avoided if the parents and guardians carried out proper monitoring," she said in a statement, today.
On Aug 10, a toddler died after the three-wheeled motorcycle she was riding with her brother and cousins fell into a canal in Kampung Tok Belian, Tawang.
On August 15, two teenagers died after their motorcycles collided while doing a 'wheelie' stunt at Jalan Elmina Business Park, Aman Putri, Sungai Pelong, Sungai Buloh.
In addition, Farah Nini also urged the government to expedite a new law related to the ban on the purchase of motorcycles by unlicensed riders.
At the same time, Farah Nini said, in 2019, the police had suggested the implementation of a new licence category referred to as 'B3' to the Transport and RTD, which would limit individuals aged 16 to 20 to only use electric motorcycles and low power 'moped' motorcycles not exceeding 70cc.
"The suggestion has been considered and in 2021, the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute (Miros) supported a proposal to study the idea.
"However, the status of the research is still unknown until now," she said, urging Miros to update the public on the progress of the study.