CSI-Child Safeguarding Initiative SABAH

13/08/2026

💜“Fostering safety starts with awareness. Every right in the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) is a promise we keep for our children”

Join us for this very important workshop that will equip educators and therapists with practical strategies for promoting and protecting child rights within a learning and therapeutic community.

Click on this link to register.

https://forms.gle/GDSbPNbmAYZYXpwJ9

15/07/2026

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia’s child protection laws are among the strongest in the world but often fail victims because of poor enforcement, advocate Datin Mary Gomez (pic) said, citing a Sandakan case in which a school bus driver escaped conviction because of a flawed investigation.

“Our laws are actually one of the best in the world, I have to say that, but it fails in practice. The gap is actually enforcement and not in drafting,” said Gomez, an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak with 36 years at the Bar.

Full story: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/284805/child-protection-laws-are-poorly-enforced-lawyer/

14/07/2026

KOTA KINABALU: Very few child abuse perpetrators are punished under existing laws, while negligent parents are almost never fined despite legal provisions allowing such action, said paediatrician Dr Ng Su Fang.

“So far, how many parents have you seen being penalised? None,” said Dr Ng, who leads the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team at the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas.

Full story: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/284642/time-to-penalise-parents/

10/07/2026

09/07/2026

Child protection is a shared responsibility that requires cooperation from families, schools, agencies, communities and the wider society, said judge Elsie Primus.

For report, click: https://www.theborneopost.com/2026/07/09/child-protection-is-everyones-responsibility-says-judge/

09/07/2026

TAWAU: The 531 domestic violence cases reported in Sabah so far this year indicate that more needs to be done, including reaching victims whose cases remain unreported.

State Women, Health and People’s Wellbeing Assistant Minister Datuk Rina Jainal said advocacy programmes must be expanded to raise public awareness and encourage more victims to come forward and seek help.

Full story: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/284427/531-sabah-domestic-violence-cases-more-needs-to-be-done-says-rina/

09/07/2026

ELSIE recalled a child abuse victim from rural Sabah whose family refused to believe the child’s allegations, even after the offender was convicted and the decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

“I convicted the perpetrator, but no one in the family cared about the child because they believed the child was telling lies. “The child was eventually placed in a protection home before an aunt agreed to care for the child several years later.

Full story: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/284446/when-family-refused-to-believe-despite-culprit-guilty/

09/07/2026

KOTA KINABALU: Preventing child abuse before it reaches the courtroom should be society’s greatest priority, as no judicial decision can erase the trauma suffered by a child, Registrar of the Subordinate Courts of Sabah and Sarawak Elsie Primus said.

Speaking at the Child Protection Conference here, Elsie drew on more than two decades of judicial experience as a magistrate and Sessions Court judge, saying the courts are usually the last stop in a child protection case.

Full story: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/284448/prevent-child-abuse-at-the-source-judge/

06/07/2026

💙 Thank You, Sabah.

What began as a shared vision became a meaningful gathering of educators, parents, community leaders, government agencies, NGOs, and child advocates, all united by one purpose: building communities that protect.

To every speaker, moderator, panellist, participant, volunteer, partner organisation, sponsor, and supporter—thank you for making the inaugural Child Safeguarding Conference Sabah 2026 a success.

Together, we learned, reflected, asked difficult questions, and committed ourselves to creating safer environments where every child can grow, thrive, and be heard.

We are also grateful to the media for helping amplify this important conversation.

This conference may have come to an end, but our work has not.

This is just the beginning.

Stay connected with us by following this page as we continue to share resources, insights, updates, and opportunities to strengthen child safeguarding across Sabah. Together, we can keep the conversation going and continue building communities that protect.

06/07/2026