Sime Darby pledges to protect children

KUALA LUMPUR: As the country witnesses more and more disturbing news about child abuse, rape and abandoning of children, conglomerate SIME DARBY BHD [] has introduced a child protection policy (CPP).

Sime Darby's president and CEO Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid said the policy was in line with the group's effort to ensure a sustainable future for all its stakeholders, adding that the policy was for children of its staff who were directly or indirectly working for the conglomerate.

"All our children represent the future of the company and our nation. The only way we can ensure a bright future for all, is by taking care of our children today," he said at the launch of Sime Darby's CPP here on Thursday, March 18.

The CPP was officially launched by the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Also present were Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Sime Darby PLANTATION []'s managing director Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid said the initiative by Sime Darby group was timely given the increasingly difficult environment that children lived in today. He said in some countries, "one in four children has been sexually abused in some way and in most cases, the perpetrator of the crime is known to the child" and that in developing countries, around 51 million births went unregistered every year.


Tuanku Nur Zahirah (2nd from right) launching Sime Darby's CPP, witnessed by Rosmah (2nd from left), Shahrizat (left) and Ahmad Zubir. Photo by Suhaimi Yusuf
Azhar added that about 1.2 million children became victims of child traffickers annually, and more than 40 million children below the age of 15 years suffered from abuse and neglect. He said the CPP was Sime Darby's long-term commitment towards ensuring that its business operations adhered to a code of conduct that ensured full protection for children.

Azhar said in the plantation industry, some workers tended to bring their children to the estate and make them help pick loose fruits, which he said could be something harmless but would be described by some quarters as child labour. He said some workers may consider bringing their children to work as family quality time.

"At Sime Darby, we ensure that children are not allowed to be in the field because we feel that children should have time to be children," Azhar said.

Meanwhile, Rosmah said the effort by Sime Darby would complement Permata, a programme that she had been working on that was aimed at developing and nurturing every child to his or her full potential.

"I am delighted that Sime Darby has stepped up to the mantle and taken the matter of protecting children very seriously with the introduction of this CPP to be implemented across the group," Rosmah said in her speech during the launch of CPP.

Sharizat expressed hopes that others in the corporate sector would emulate the efforts by Sime Darby.

She added that if the corporate sector and NGOs worked together, they could leverage on each other's strengths and experience, not only to change mindsets on issues relating to children's rights, but also to spur more people to become proactive in helping to build a better and safer environment for children.