Myth Buster

Scenario

Philip left his 10 years old daughter, Lily at a public playground near their house to play alone and instructed Lily to stay there until her mother, Jane turn up within 2 hours to bring her home. One of the neighbors saw Lily and called Philip that it was unsafe to leave Lily at the playground alone but Philip claimed that Lily is an independent young adult that does not require parental supervision anymore.

Mythbusted.

Under Child Act 2001, ‘child’ is defined as a person under the age of 18, thus in the eyes of law Lily is still a child notwithstanding howsoever independent she is. Pursuant to Section 33 of Child Act 2001, Philip has committed an offense for failing to provide Lily with proper supervision and is liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000.00 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both upon conviction.

In 18 January 2015, Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said a new Act with tougher penalties which emphasizes more on addressing parental neglect of children may be drawn up to replace the Child Act 2001. We will keep you informed upon any updates on the matter so stay tuned.

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