Thulasi Munisamy of Protect and Save the Children said workers caring for children must be equipped with the necessary qualifications, expertise and experience to allow them to safeguard the rights of children and promote their best interests.
“The Social Work Profession Bill must regulate, licence and govern the recruitment of competent staff to protect and support at-risk children and child victims,” she said.
In March, it was reported that the women, family, and community development ministry aimed to table the bill in Parliament this year.
Thulasi also proposed the implementation of mandatory child protection policies in all shelters, schools, madrassahs and detention centres, stressing the importance of training staff in how to prevent and respond to child exploitation and online crimes.
She was commenting after the authorities announced they had rescued 402 children from 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan on Wednesday.
The children, aged between one and 17, are believed to have been victims of neglect, and of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
Another child activist, James Nayagam of the Suriana Welfare Society, said he had raised the matter when sitting on the Council for Child Welfare in Malaysia previously.
He said welfare homes run by Islamic organisations are not subjected to the same rigorous standards and procedures imposed on registered homes.
These homes, he said, are overseen by religious organisations, and are exempted from the formal registration processes.
“There is no monitoring, no supervision and no child protection services involved.
“It has shocked me deeply that organisations have been allowed to operate for so many years with so many children.”
On Friday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the rescued children were undergoing health screening, which is expected to take at least 10 days.
Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH), linked by police to the welfare homes, has denied operating the homes.
It has also denied that children were exploited, sodomised and forced to sexually assault others.