KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, the Women, Family, and Community Development Minister, announced that the government intends to strengthen the screening process for babysitters hired at taska and daycare centres. The ministry’s Welfare Department will collaborate with the Home Ministry and police to consider making background checks mandatory for babysitter candidates. Candidates and taska operators will have to undergo a psychometric test to assess their mental health and interest in the occupation, ensuring they are suitable for handling children. This announcement was made in response to a question by Jimmy Puah (Pakatan Harapan-Tebrau) on measures being taken to reduce the increasing number of child abuse cases and provide assistance to the victims.
Nancy also revealed plans to enhance the regulations and guidelines for closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at daycare centres. Although CCTV installation has been made obligatory for taska operations, there are currently no specific guidelines on the number of units to be installed and the proper handling of recorded data. Nancy stressed the importance of eliminating blind spots in surveillance coverage and exempting private areas like toilets and changing rooms from CCTV monitoring. She further added that CCTV must be fully functional during daycare operating hours, even when only one child is present. The ministry will enforce compliance through surprise visits conducted by an enforcement team.
By the end of the year, the ministry plans to streamline the enforcement team under the newly established Child Development Department. Officers will be strategically placed in 43 districts identified as high-risk areas to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement actions only for childcare centres and taska. Furthermore, Nancy acknowledged that addressing child abuse within homes required a different approach as it involved factors beyond her ministerial powers. The ministry plans to implement awareness programmes, advocate for child protection, and empower the community on this issue. Nancy emphasized that placing victims with their family members would be prioritized rather than placing them in institutional care.
