Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the guidelines will be launched on Oct 24 at the Palace of Justice, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the judicial system for children, Bernama reported.

She said the measure is also intended to address court delays, which can cause child witnesses to be reluctant to testify again once they reach adulthood.

“We want all cases involving children, whether they are the accused or the victim, to be resolved within one year.

“Our focus is clear – cases involving child perpetrators or victims must be prioritised.

“This is a principle that the Chief Justice and the Chief Judge of Malaya have agreed upon.”

The government had already adopted several measures to expedite cases involving minors, such as specialist evidence-taking vans to simplify recording testimony from underage witnesses, Azalina said after the handover ceremony for the new Pengerang Court in Kota Tinggi today.

The Pengerang Court, costing RM17 million, is scheduled to begin operations on Nov 1.

Separately, on the issue of smartphone use by students and involvement in social media, Azalina said this required careful study, taking into account practices in other nations that have set age limits of between 13 and 16.

“More importantly, we already have the Online Safety Act, which was developed with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Legal Affairs Division.

“This Act will facilitate enforcement and the monitoring of social media platforms as directed by the government,” she said.