Treat criminal cases involving autistic people differently, says activist

PETALING JAYA: Criminal cases involving autistic people should be handled differently as their needs and behaviours are often misunderstood, Child Rights Activist and founder of Yayasan Chow Kit Dr Hartini Zainudin said today.
There is a need for policies to deal with criminal cases involving them, she said about Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi who was arrested on Sept 11 for allegedly touching a 24-year-old woman's chest after his 22nd birthday celebration at a restaurant in Subang Jaya.
"The problem with this case and many other similar cases is that we don't have an SOP to work with children or adults with autism or anyone with special needs," she told theSun.
"They (authorities) should have handled it differently, not to minimise what happened to the woman, but the whole case was handled badly."
She cited the Autism Act 2009 of the United Kingdom that makes provision for adults with autism. It requires the authorities to act under certain conditions when dealing with them.
Meanwhile, an online petition has been launched calling for fair treatment of mentally disabled and challenged individuals after Ahmad Ziqri's case was highlighted in the press.
The petition has gathered over 19,000 signatures as of 7pm today since it was launched on change.org on Sept 17.
"While the awareness of autism in Malaysia has risen in the past few years, very little is seen in terms of action in the community. Their needs and behaviours are often misunderstood," read the petition that was addressed to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and the Inspector-General of Police.
The petition urged the authoritites to work with relevant professionals dealing with people of disabilities to establish protocols.
The petition suggested that restraints such as handcuffs be used only as a last resort when dealing with persons of disabilities may aggravate and manifest in the form of self-injury, seizures or extreme behaviour issues.