MALAYSIA
Astro Awani
KUALA LUMPUR: The amendment to the Legal Aid Act 1971, which is expected to be tabled at the next Parliament session, will enable underage victims of sexual crimes and their family members to get access to legal advice from the Legal Aid Department and lawyers approved by the department.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the amendment would create a term of Legal Companion, in which legal officers from the department would give the necessary aid and advice to the victims in accordance with the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
“However, this will not include the court process, only to introduce and to explain to them about the law,” she told reporters at a luncheon with senior new editors here on Thursday.
She said the proposed amendment was a continuity to the government’s efforts to introduce the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the newly established Special Child Sexual Crimes Court.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.