JOHOR BARU: The state government is cooperating with the Welfare Department to address the issue of child peddlers.
State Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Khairin-Nisa Ismail@Md On said the state government was aware of the issue and was monitoring the situation.
"It is a very delicate issue. The department is not authorised to hold these children unless it's established that they have been physically or emotionally abused.
"However, establishing abuse is challenging as it requires proof. (For now) we will hold consultation sessions with the parents," she said, adding that in some cases, parents were unaware that their children were peddling on the street.
Khairin-Nisa said every week, the authorities would carry out operations to rehabilitate vagabonds and drug addicts, but they had not encountered the children.
Lawyer Norman Fernandez said individuals making children peddle goods on the street and the parents could face action under the Child Act.
He said the act was clear that it was illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to beg or engage in illegal activities, including illegal hawking.
The offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years or a fine up to RM5,000, or both.
In the case of parents, they might be liable for abandoning, neglecting or exposing their children to danger, which could lead to physical or emotional injury.
The New Straits Times has reached out to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri for comment.