‘No excuse to let abuser go scot-free’: Minister urges reporting after alleged 3yo abuse death

By Karen Bong

KUCHING, Oct 8: Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah has stressed that cases of abuse must be reported immediately, emphasising that perpetrators cannot be allowed to go scot-free for any reason.

She was responding to an alleged child abuse case that went viral on social media, where a three-year-old child reportedly died after being abused by the boyfriend of the mother. It was mentioned in the viral post that a police report has been lodged to locate the suspect.

“I do not know the details of this case. But generally speaking, if there is abuse, whether involving a child, a woman, or an elderly person, it must be reported so that action can be taken against the perpetrator,” she said in a pre-recorded interview after officiating a gathering to spread joy and care in conjunction with Deepavali celebration at the Indian Association Kuching’s multipurpose hall today.

Fatimah stressed that failure to report abuse could lead to repeated offences and warned against withdrawing reports after lodging them.

“We cannot let abusers go scot-free for whatever reason. That is why the first step must always be to report it. I always remind people that if such cases are left unreported, they can happen again and we do not want to wait until a life is lost before taking action,” she said.

She explained that once a report is made, the victim must be brought to a hospital for medical examination to obtain evidence of abuse, whether physical or sexual, as it will be crucial during prosecution.

“The report must be made, then the victim must undergo a medical examination. These two steps are very important because they provide the evidence needed in court,” she said.

Fatimah added that the ministry also provides temporary shelters for victims who do not have a safe place to stay while investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

“I cannot tell you where the shelters are, but we do have safe houses to ensure the safety of victims until the case is brought to court,” she said, adding that court orders can also be obtained to prohibit the perpetrator from approaching the victim.

She reassured that the existing laws and welfare mechanisms are in place to protect victims regardless of their age or gender.

“This is what we must do in cases like this. I will get more details on this particular case,” she added.

Meanwhile, the event witnessed the presentation of Deepavali 2025 festive contributions, consisting of a RM250 hamper sponsored by PETRONAS and RM100 cash assistance from the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKMS), to 64 recipients under monthly welfare assistance. — DayakDaily

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