KUALA LUMPUR: The form that parents of children associated with GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) are required to fill out is for administrative purposes and not an admission of wrongdoing, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family, and Community Development Minister was responding to a housewife detained during Ops Global on Sept 11, who claimed she was compelled to sign a blank form by a Social Welfare Department officer as a condition for her child’s return.
“I believe she was confused about what the officer was trying to tell her,” she said during the winding-up debates on the special motion on GISB on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Nancy said the document was to notify of the temporary custody of the child into Welfare Department care, which aligns with Section 18 of the Child Act.
She said that the signature requested was just an acknowledgement of the notice that their child was now placed under the Welfare Department’s protection.
A group of 96 parents, detained in a crackdown against GISB, are demanding the return of their children currently in the Welfare Department’s custody, with some alleging they were coerced into signing Form 2, which is a Notification of the Temporary Care of Children by a Protector, issued by the Social Welfare Department.
Nancy said that over 200 individuals have contacted the Welfare Department, either by phone or in person at its offices nationwide to obtain information about the children rescued in Ops Global.
“Parents can provide their details such as their name, address and phone number, to be contacted, as well as information about their children.
“Officers responsible for the children in question will contact them for follow-up action, including interviews, which are used to prepare the Protection Report. This report will be submitted to the Children’s Court.
“If the court, after considering the report and other relevant facts, is satisfied and convinced that the children no longer require protection and can be returned to their parents, the children will be reunited with their families,” she added.
However, she said the fact of being the child’s parent does not guarantee that they will regain custody of their child.
“If the court deems the parents unsuitable or unfit to care for the children, the court can issue a temporary guardianship order to another party,” she said.
