KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu revealed that there are currently 1,365 children seeking shelter, protection or rehabilitation in welfare institutions throughout Malaysia. These children are presently residing in 39 institutions under the Welfare Department. The Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister stated that out of the total, 51 children do not possess any identification documents, which is a decrease from the previous year’s count of 158 children without identification documents.
During a session in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 1), Aiman shared that the Welfare Department is collaborating closely with the National Registration Department (NRD) to ensure that the affected children are issued with birth certificates before their wardship comes to an end. In addition, the ministry initiated a pilot project in July to provide continued education or employment opportunities for neglected children under their care who have reached 18 years old. The first batch, consisting of 43 children, is currently benefitting from the Anjung Sinar pilot project.
Aiman called upon both the private and public sectors, zakat centres, and non-governmental organisations to participate as strategic partners with the project. Moving on to the topic of abandoned children, she stated that there have been a total of 156 recorded cases from January to October this year. She further added that the ministry released a circular last year, outlining guidelines on how to handle abandoned children.
