SEBUYAU: A four-year-old victim of abuse who was found in an apartment in Menglembu, Ipoh is now in the care of the Social Welfare Department (JKM).
Federal Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the boy has been under the supervision of JKM after they received information on the case from the police.
“Now he is in our care but that doesn’t mean we will continue to look after him,” she said.
“In most cases we need to have a police report or sometimes need to get a court order to allow us to take the child.”
Nancy was commenting on the status of the victim to reporters at the Sebuyau District Office, here, yesterday.
She said custody over the child, whether to a family member or a deserving group, will be assessed first.
“Maybe there are people who are worthy and suitable especially to take care of him, especially those from his family.
“But that will be assessed first because sometimes there are families who are unable to care and there are also other people who are qualified in terms of ability and even (in terms of) emotional care for the boy.
“So this is one of the specific criteria that we see, but let’s all take this opportunity to call on the public to have common sense by reporting such incidents as soon as possible,” she said.
Last Thursday, a video went viral of a child found alone in a house in a state of hunger by the public.
Witnesses reported that the victim asked for food from a passer-by who was walking in front of the house before noticing there were injuries on the victim’s body.
Police arrested the victim’s 23-year-old biological mother and her 26-year-old boyfriend at the apartment at about 7pm on the same day.
