Child Welfare and Social Work: The Legal, Political and Social Contexts of Malaysia

  • Habibie Bte Hj Ibrahim Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
  • Norhamidah Jarimal Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
Keywords: child welfare, social work, social problems, political and social context

Abstract

This paper is based on literature review on the legal, political and social context of Malaysia regarding child welfare and social work. Children are an asset and younger generations will become the leaders of the country in future. In the Malaysian context, a variety of factors impact on how children are defined. These include the Islamic perspective, local cultural practices, approaches based on biological growth and relevant legislation. Such varying definitions can cause confusion in the application of law and could result in injustice. When talking regarding the social problems concerning children in Malaysia, there include abuse, neglect, abandonment of babies, street children, children beyond parental control, children involved with crime, underage marriage, prostitution and child trafficking. However, the shortage of professional social workers who can effectively manage abuse and child neglect cases is a serious problem.

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References

Anisah Che Ngah (2002) Penganiayaan Kanak-Kanak. Kuala Lumpur : Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka

Child  Protection Act. (2001). Petaling Jaya: International Laws Book Services

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Islamic Family Law Enactment (2002) [online] Available at: [Accessed 7th July 2010]

Jal Zabdi, M. Y.  (2008) Child Protection Laws in Malaysia: The Changing Trend. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8th July 2010]

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Nazrisyam Abu Bakar (2003) Penderaan kanak-Kanak: Satu Kajian di Jabatan Masyarakat Malaysia. Unversiti Malaya: Jabatan Sosio-Budaya Akademi Kajian Melayu
Published
2018-06-28
How to Cite
Ibrahim, H. B. H. and Jarimal, N. (2018) “Child Welfare and Social Work: The Legal, Political and Social Contexts of Malaysia”, Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 3(3), pp. 1 - 5. doi: 10.47405/mjssh.v3i3.105.
Section
Articles