By Florence Genta & Gerald Lawson
SIBU: The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry will apply for a child protection order for the four-month-old baby that was reportedly abused by two men.
This was revealed by its minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah when she visited the abused baby at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Pediatrics Ward at the Sibu Hospital yesterday.
“It’s very sad to see such an innocent baby subjected to such a criminal act. I have been told that the police have already carried out an investigation with the help of a CCTV,” she told reporters.
Fatimah said her ministry will apply for a child protection order to enable the baby to be well taken of.
“In this case, the doctor will continue to provide the best care for him. We will be looking into the best support system for the baby,” she said.
Two male suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.
Sibu OCPD Assistant Commissioner of Police Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said they had released the first suspect, the 36-year-old father of the boy.
“We have detained the 20-year-old uncle of the boy and he has been remanded until Oct 12 for investigation under the Child Act,” he added.
The baby, who had brain hemorrhage, underwent surgery at Sibu Hospital.
The abuse was discovered by his grandmother, 47, after she found her grandson in a weak condition with red marks on his forehead early last Tuesday morning.
The baby’s condition is stable and he is still under sedative and round-the-clock observation.
Fatimah said according to police statistics, there were 14 child abuse cases in 2018.
Of the total, she said Miri recorded seven cases, the highest, in 2018 while Sibu two cases.
However, Sibu recorded the highest number of child abuse cases so far this year, she added.
Fatimah said stress had been identified as the main contributing factor that caused adults to abuse children. She added that number of child abuse cases soared from 14 in 2018 to 22 cases in just nine months of this year in the state.
She pointed out that it was important for her ministry to find out what had caused the perpetrators to be stressed.
“We need to look at the whole picture like what caused them to be stressed.”
She said the causes of stress might be due to financial problems, drugs, social and emotional factors.
“We need to take up holistic measures in order to prevent child abuse cases from happening,” she said.
Fatimah said in all child abuse cases, the victims were helpless and could not defend themselves.
She advised those under stress to call the various helplines operated by Befrienders, the Women’s Department in her ministry and the Community Development Department.
“If you feel that you are stressed, please call the hotlines. We can give advice and a support system,” she added.
