Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said immediate measures are being taken to tighten laws to prevent deaths of infants due to the negligence of babysitters.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said her ministry was currently in talks with the Attorney-General’s Chambers on the matter.
“The Attorney-General (will) inform what should be tightened because the existing laws, regulations and acts have loopholes that needed to be looked into.
“So far, we are still discussing with the Attorney-General,” she told reporters at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house here yesterday.
A 10-month-old baby boy sustained severe head injuries after he was believed to have fallen at the babysitter’s house and died yesterday morning after four days at the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital in Muar.
“I am very sad when this kind of things happen again. This is a tragedy. The Ministry is seeking more details on this matter,” said Dr Wan Azizah.
Media reported that a father, Nabil Fikri Anwar, 28, via the Whatsapp application, said his son, Naufal Amsyar, 10 months old, who is also his only child, died at 9am yesterday.
On Tuesday, the baby who was looked after by a 35-year-old woman in Tangkak was admitted into the hospital after he was believed to have suffered from seizures.
Initial checks revealed old and new bruises on the baby’s left forehead and bleeding from the eyes and cracks on the skull.
On Thursday, the police arrested the babysitter to facilitate investigations under Section 31(1)(a) of the Childs Act 2001, which provides for a maximum fine of RM20,000 or jail term of 10 years or both, upon conviction. — Bernama