New committee to review child-safeguarding measures in Muslim religious settings: MCCY, MUIS

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) jointly announced on Wednesday (Sept 30) the composition and scope of the Committee to Strengthen Safeguards in Religious Settings.

The committee was first announced by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Zaqy Mohamad in parliament on Sept 8, following the case of a religious influencer who was convicted of sexually abusing two brothers aged 6 and 11 earlier in August.

It aims to identify practical recommendations to strengthen child safeguarding and protection in religious settings, with a particular focus on protecting children and young persons under the age of 18.

The committee seeks to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young persons while preserving the open and welcoming ethos of religious institutions.

The review will take a preventive approach to safeguarding by strengthening the systems, culture and practices that prevent harm and surface concerns early, as well as implementing child protection measures in instances where harm has occurred or a youth may be at risk.

The committee will focus on two key areas.

The first involves reviewing governance and safeguarding frameworks in key religious settings, including mosques, madrasahs and Islamic Education Centres and Providers (IECPs).

As part of the review, the committee will examine the screening and oversight of individuals who work or volunteer with children and young persons. It will also look at safeguarding and professional boundaries governing interactions and activities involving them.

The committee will also review protocols for incident reporting, escalation and response within and across institutions, as well as accessible channels for raising concerns. In addition, it will study how leaders, staff and volunteers can be better equipped to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns.

The second area focuses on reviewing frameworks governing the provision of religious instruction to enable the community, particularly children and young persons, to access credible religious guidance safely.

The committee will explore safeguards and oversight for religious instruction in formal and informal settings, as well as codes of conduct and disciplinary frameworks for religious teachers. This includes precautionary measures while serious concerns or allegations are being investigated, and disciplinary action where misconduct is established.

It also plans to educate and empower children, young persons and their parents on appropriate boundaries, how to raise concerns and where to seek help. It will also look at barriers that may discourage or prevent concerns from being raised.

The committee will also look into emerging risks, including online religious influence, digital communications and interactions involving children and young persons.

Community engagement

The committee's review will also take a community-centric approach, as it seeks the perspectives of children and young persons, parents, asatizah (Islamic religious teachers or scholars) and religious institutions to better understand their experiences and inform its recommendations.

It will also draw on relevant practices from Singapore’s broader child safeguarding and protection system.

Members of the public are invited to share their views and suggestions with the committee through https://go.gov.sg/religioussettingsafeguards , a FormSG feedback portal. The feedback received will complement the committee's stakeholder engagements and help inform its review.

The committee aims to offer practical recommendations that are proportionate to institutions' differing contexts and capacities. It will also consider relevant lessons and good practices that may be applied across other religious settings.

The committee is co-chaired by Associate Professor Razwana Begum, head of the Global Security and Strategy Programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed, executive director (Education Division) at Andalus Corporation and chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals.

Other committee members include MUIS Fatwa Committee member Ustazah Dr Rohana Ithnin, DigitalWell.ai principal consultant and programme manager Ustaz Ridhwan Mohd Basor, and Rohan Mah & Partners LLP audit and tax principal Suree Rohan.

They will also be joined by the Singapore Police Force's AC Masagoes Idris Hussain, the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Senior Deputy Director (Operations) Ravina Said Abdul Rahman, Principal Clinical Psychologist Quah Saw Han, and the Ministry of Education's Zonal Director (Schools), East, Krishnan Aravinthan.

The committee is expected to submit its recommendations to the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs by the end of the year, before sharing their findings and recommendations with the community.

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com

文化、社区及青年部 (MCCY) 和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会 (MUIS) 于周三（9 月 30 日）联合宣布了加强宗教场所安全保障委员会的组成和范围。

该委员会最初由代理穆斯林事务部长扎基·穆罕默德于 9 月 8 日在国会宣布成立。此前，一名宗教界有影响力的人士于 8 月初被判性侵两名分别为 6 岁和 11 岁的兄弟。

它旨在提出切实可行的建议，以加强宗教场所中的儿童保护，尤其侧重于保护 18 岁以下的儿童和青少年。

该委员会致力于促进儿童和青少年的安全和福祉，同时维护宗教机构开放和包容的精神。

本次审查将采取预防性措施来保障儿童安全，加强预防伤害和及早发现问题的制度、文化和做法，并在发生伤害或青少年可能面临风险的情况下实施儿童保护措施。

委员会将重点关注两个关键领域。

第一方面涉及审查主要宗教场所（包括清真寺、伊斯兰学校和伊斯兰教育中心及提供者）的治理和保障框架。

作为审查的一部分，委员会将审查与儿童和青少年一起工作或担任志愿者的个人的筛选和监督情况。委员会还将审查保障措施和规范涉及儿童和青少年的互动和活动的职业界限。

委员会还将审查机构内部及机构间的事件报告、升级和应对规程，以及提出疑虑的便捷渠道。此外，委员会还将研究如何更好地提升领导、员工和志愿者识别和应对保障问题的能力。

第二个领域侧重于审查有关提供宗教指导的框架，以使社区，特别是儿童和青少年，能够安全地获得可信的宗教指导。

委员会将探讨正规和非正规宗教教育的保障和监督机制，以及宗教教师的行为准则和纪律框架。这包括在调查严重问题或指控期间采取的预防措施，以及在不当行为成立后采取的纪律处分。

该项目还计划对儿童、青少年及其家长进行教育和赋能，帮助他们了解适当的界限、如何提出问题以及在哪里寻求帮助。此外，该项目还将关注可能阻碍或妨碍人们提出问题的障碍。

委员会还将调查新兴风险，包括网络宗教影响、涉及儿童和青少年的数字通信和互动。

社区参与

委员会的审查也将采取以社区为中心的方法，寻求儿童和青少年、家长、伊斯兰教宗教教师或学者以及宗教机构的意见，以便更好地了解他们的经历并为建议提供依据。

它还将借鉴新加坡更广泛的儿童保护体系中的相关做法。

公众可通过 FormSG 反馈门户网站 https://go.gov.sg/religioussettingsafeguards 向委员会提交意见和建议。收到的反馈将有助于委员会与利益相关者进行沟通，并为审查工作提供参考。

委员会旨在提出切实可行的建议，这些建议应与各机构的不同背景和能力相适应。委员会还将考虑可应用于其他宗教场所的相关经验和良好做法。

该委员会由新加坡社会科学大学全球安全与战略项目负责人拉兹瓦娜·贝古姆副教授和安达卢斯集团（教育部门）执行董事兼穆斯林专业人士协会主席法图拉赫曼·达沃德乌斯塔兹共同担任主席。

其他委员会成员包括 MUIS Fatwa 委员会成员 Ustazah Rohana Ithnin 博士、DigitalWell.ai 首席顾问兼项目经理 Ustaz Ridhwan Mohd Basor 以及 Rohan Mah & Partners LLP 审计和税务负责人 Suree Rohan。

新加坡警察部队的助理警监马萨戈斯·伊德里斯·侯赛因、社会及家庭发展部高级副主任（行动）拉维娜·赛义德·阿卜杜勒·拉赫曼、首席临床心理学家柯绍汉以及教育部东部地区学校主任克里希南·阿拉文坦也将加入他们的行列。

委员会预计将于年底前向主管穆斯林事务的代理部长提交建议，之后再与社区分享其调查结果和建议。

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com