Chapter 1 – Report of the Policy, Law and Complaints Group (iv) Increased penalties on parents or guardians for offences involving child abandonment (Sections 31, 32 and 33). The Commission welcomes the initiatives taken by the Ministry to ensure children’s rights are protected in Malaysia as well as to ensure that laws and policies are in line with international human rights standards as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). However, the Commission is perturbed that the draft bill containing the proposed amendments to the Child Act 2001 was not shared, nor discussed in detail, with the Commission. The non-sharing of such an important document would render such consultation worthless and could be deemed as an exercise in futility as no proper and informed advice could be given due to inability of the Commission to scrutinise the draft. 10. LOOKING FORWARD In view of the Bills and amendments to Acts passed throughout 2015 that affect the fundamental rights of individuals, such as the Child (Amendment) Bill 2015, the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015, and the Sedition (Amendment) Act 2015, the Law Reform and Treaties Division will continue its monitoring work, and assist the Commission in making recommendations to the Government on the appropriate approach to the formulation of such laws, so as to ensure that human rights principles are respected and entrenched in those laws. 69 BOOK-ANR2016-01-latest.indb 69 08/04/2016 3:32 PM