Can action be taken against Zara’s parents, asks MP

KUALA LUMPUR: A Barisan Nasional (BN) MP today questioned whether action can be taken against the parents of 11-month-old Nur Muazara Ulfa Mohammad Zainal, who died after purportedly being sexually and physically abused by the husband of the nanny.

Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) said what happened to the toddler could be a form of negligence by the parents on her safety.

“This is a form of negligence on the safety of the child. Abuse does not happen in a day. It could take place over a period of one or two weeks,” he said in a supplementary question in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Jalaluddin’s remarks were in relation to a reply by Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh, who had earlier stated that according to the toddler’s mother, there were already signs that Zara cried and expressed dislike upon seeing the woman’s husband.

“These are early signs which parents can pick up when they send their children to the nanny’s house,” said Yeoh (PH-Segambut).

Last Friday (Nov 9), Nur Muazara (fondly known as Zara) died after spending two days at Serdang Hospital in critical condition, believed to be due to physical and sexual abuse by the babysitter’s husband.

Police have detained the babysitter and her husband for further investigations.

To the question on whether the parents were negligent, Yeoh said she could not say anything further as the matter was currently being investigated by police.

However, she noted that under the Child Act 2001, the standard of care needed on the part of the caregiver is very high.

Yeoh also urged parents to be more hardworking in carrying out spot checks when sending their children to be taken care of by the nanny.

“When we send our children to the nannies, we need to call, and we need to do sudden visits without informing the nanny so that we can check on who is actually taking care of the child.

“Also, we need to see the response of the children when we send them to the nanny’s, whether they like it, or if they are afraid to go the house. We must ask our children the activities that frequently take place at the house every day.

“We need to observe the behaviour of our children, their movements and their responses when we send them over to the nanny’s, and when we take them home.”

Yeoh also stressed on the need to check how many people lived in the household, and that nannies are not allowed to let others take care of children under their care.

“In Zara’s case, the nanny’s husband was the one taking care of her, not the nanny. The risk of injuries to the child by another person (must be checked), how many visitors come to the house, whether there are relatives and friends who frequently visit the house.

“Parents need to know who has access to the house, and find out the personal details of the family members,” she said in response to a supplementary question by Alice Lau (PH-Lanang).

To a question by Fahmi Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai) on whether the government intends to introduce a blacklist of such individuals, Yeoh said the government was in the process of formulating a “working with children” check, which will enable all quarters with access to children to do such checks.

“We have already held discussions with the courts, the police and the prison. We are looking to roll this out next year,” she added.