Sarawak needs special court to handle child sexual crimes

KUCHING: There is an urgent need to establish a special court in Sarawak to handle sexual crimes against children, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim (pix).
She said this following a recent spate of sexual crimes in the state involving minors which she described as shocking.
"At a recent Cabinet meeting, I suggested the idea of setting up a special court to handle sexual crimes against children in Sarawak, at least by next year.
"However, with the recent cases in Sarawak, I really hope we don't have to wait until next year as I will push to accelerate it (setting up of the court), if possible by this year. I want the victims (children) to receive the justice they deserve," she told reporters after attending the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Supreme Council meeting here today.
Rohani said it should not be difficult to immediately establish the court because it only involved administrative processes.
"There is no need for construction of a new building as it will only involve renovations or courtroom arrangements such as live video conference facilities when giving evidence where the victim will communicate with the presiding judge," she added.
One of the recent shocking cases in the state involved two sisters who were raped by their father, grandfather and two uncles at a village in Serian over the past six years.
Yesterday, the four men were sentenced to prison for between 25 and 55 years, and ordered to be given 24 strokes of the rotan by the Kota Samarahan Sessions court over their heinous acts against the siblings. — Bernama