PUTRAJAYA, June 9 — Chief Justice Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh once said that justice must reach those who had long stood furthest from its protection, a simple yet enduring belief that the Malaysian judiciary continues to reaffirm today.
The remark, made during his speech at the Opening of the Legal Year 2026, referred to the Mobile Courts initiative launched in circa 2018.
“It was born out of necessity, to serve communities in remote and interior areas where travelling to a courthouse was often an insurmountable challenge, and in places where no permanent court buildings existed,” Wan Ahmad Farid was quoted as saying.
Nearly eight years later, the Mobile Courts initiative has since expanded into the Children’s Mobile Court, reflecting a shared commitment between the Judiciary and the federal government to a fairer, more child-sensitive justice system.
“When it comes to court, everyone feels scared and intimidated, especially children, whether as victims or witnesses.
“Before this, you including the children had to go to court in person but now the court comes to you.
“We don’t want people coming to court and not being able to give their evidence properly because they are intimidated by the building and the proceedings,” Registrar of the Subordinate Courts of Malaya Mohammed Mokhzani Mokhtar told Malay Mail during a recent interview at the Palace of Justice here.
At the heart of the initiative are three components:
“Though the feedback is not quantifiable, the information we gathered from our judges and prosecutors indicates it has been favourable.
“The reason is that child victims who attend court and hesitate while giving evidence are now able to complete their testimony without much difficulty.
“I cannot say the quality of their testimony is now better (as compared to in court), but the Children’s Mobile Court has facilitated and eased their anxiety during court proceedings,” Mohammed Mokhzani said.
In essence, the Children’s Mobile Court aims to create a conducive environment — physically, economically and emotionally — for children at every step, from their homes through their journey and into the courtroom.
“Because every time a victim goes to court, it can be a traumatic experience even if they are placed in a separate room from the accused (who may try to make their presence known).
“They go through it once and are then often required to relive it again when giving testimony, so our aim is to reduce that burden and make the process as supportive and least distressing as possible,” he said.
He noted that some families of child victims or witnesses also come from less privileged backgrounds, making trips to court a costly undertaking and the Children’s Mobile Court helps alleviate these costs by bringing court services closer to the children and their families.
Specially designed
Mohammed Mokhzani said the Judiciary’s Mobile Court primary setup is built around the VNEJ and the VNJ, and is later complemented by the VMR.
The VNEJ — a modified Weststar Maxus V80 multipurpose van — is equipped with daybeds, pillows, books, toys, air-conditioning and anatomical dolls to help children feel more comfortable while giving evidence, particularly in cases under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
It also doubles as a child witness room where children can testify via video conferencing during ongoing hearings, or as a temporary child witness room where specially appointed Victim Liaison Officers (VLOs) assist in recording evidence.
Unlike the VNEJ, the VNJ — a modified Isuzu medium-duty truck — is essentially a courtroom on wheels, complete with nearly all the facilities found in a conventional courtroom.
This includes areas for the judge, prosecutors, lawyers, court staff, auxiliary police, the witness and the accused, except for a public gallery due to space constraints.
As the VNJ is a fully functioning courtroom, it may hear cases before a Magistrate, Sessions Court judge or High Court judge, provided all parties consent to its use.
Last but not least, the specially designated VMR — a modified Weststar Maxus G10 multipurpose van — is used to safely transport child victims and witnesses involved in criminal trials to court.
Not without challenges
While the Mobile Court initiative has had a positive impact since its launch, Mohammed Mokhzani noted that challenges remain, including the need for a stable power supply and reliable internet connectivity to ensure optimal function.
“While both the VMR and VNJ are equipped with their own generators, we prefer an external power source because it will be quieter and cause less disruption,” he said.
Security can also be a concern on certain occasions, as the VMR or VNJ are sometimes parked in public or less secure areas rather than within police stations or court complexes.
Nevertheless, Mohammed Mokhzani expressed the Judiciary’s appreciation to the federal government and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said for allocating RM5 million to procure 15 additional VNEJ units for nationwide deployment.
“The allocation will allow each state to have at least one van, except for Kedah and Perlis, which will share one, while Sabah and Sarawak will each receive two,” he said, adding that the procurement is expected to be completed by year’s end.
He also assured that if children must go through court proceedings, families can be assured that their welfare and protection will be better safeguarded than before.
“With our VLOs and this mobile court, we try to reduce the intimidation level to a minimum.
“It might work or not work, but at the very least we try to do something to alleviate the fear of going to court,” he said.
A Hong Kong government proposal that will allow the city’s leader to certify criminal acts as national security offences is intended to “make the law clear,” Chief Executive John Lee has said.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said the new subsidiary legislation for Hong Kong’s homegrown national security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, “is purely to make the law even clearer.”
Shortly after, Lee approved the subsidiary legislation during a meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body.
Under the new law, which was gazetted and came into effect the same day, the chief executive will be able to certify “other offences endangering national security.”
Criminal cases classified as endangering national security will have tougher court procedures, such as a higher bar for bail and trial before designated judges.
“The purpose of introducing the subsidiary legislation is to make it clear, make it much, much clearer, how offences… endangering national security under the law of Hong Kong will be so classified,” Lee told reporters on Tuesday.
“It is not intended and will not expand the definition of the offences, and it’s not adding any new offences or any new powers or punishments. It also does not expand the scope of the application of the law,” he added.
Lee said the new piece of legislation would reduce “controversy or debate in court” about what constitutes national security offences.
Asked whether he was concerned about giving an impression of further centralising power into his hands, Lee said the city’s chief executive must shoulder the “important responsibility” of safeguarding national security.
Lee said he would exercise the new power with “prudence and seriousness,” but added that, as city leader, he has access to exclusive information regarding threats to national security.
A lot of activities endangering national security “are committed by state players of another place. They are professional, sophisticated, and the series of information that may be available to indicate the seriousness of the matters [is] privy to the chief executive,” he said.
“A lot of this information is sensitive and not suitable for public disclosure,” he added.
Under the government proposal, the certificate issued by the chief executive will be binding on the city’s courts and cannot be challenged.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said the designation of national security offences involves “highly confidential” information that would not be available to the courts.
“The judiciary would not be capable of making such a decision,” Lam said.
Asked whether the chief executive’s certificates will be announced, Lam only said “people will know” as court proceedings are open to the public.
“If you see designated judges or other special arrangements in a trial, you will know” that the case has been designated as relating to national security, he said.
PUTRAJAYA, June 10 — For child witnesses, speaking about traumatic abuse experiences in a courtroom setting can be overwhelming and distressing, especially when they struggle to recount important details of what they endured.
Enter the anatomical dolls — seemingly ordinary playthings with facial features (including a retractable tongue), limbs, clothing and realistic body proportions, including private parts — used by the Malaysian Judiciary in child witness proceedings.
Though unable to speak themselves, these specially tailored anatomical dolls play a crucial role in giving child witnesses a voice when trauma, shyness or limited vocabulary makes verbal testimony difficult.
In almost all cases involving sexual abuse, Registrar of the Subordinate Courts of Malaya Mohammed Mokhzani Mokhtar noted that anatomical dolls tend to play their most important role precisely when language falls short.
“In a psychological course I attended many years ago, we were told that there are almost 80 different names for the male genitalia in Bahasa Malaysia.
“Sometimes children go to court with that knowledge (of euphemistic terms), like they refer to the male genitalia as burung or ‘birdbird’, but they don’t use the correct terminology, right?
“So, instead of explaining it to the court, they explain it by showing, which is what the anatomical doll does,” he told Malay Mail during a recent interview at the Palace of Justice here.
Mohammed Mokhzani explained that prosecutors or judicial officers use the anatomical doll during interviews with child witnesses to indicate where a child was abused, either physically or sexually.
Describing a real-life example, he recalled handling a case involving a five-year-old victim sent to a nursery, whose molestation by the premises owner’s father was communicated through a brushing gesture made using the anatomical doll’s finger, indicating that she had been touched on her private parts.
“We ask the child what their abuser did, and then use the doll to help them narrate or describe their ordeal.”
The child’s account, conveyed through the anatomical doll, is then recorded as evidence and is admissible in court, he added.
While the use of anatomical dolls is not new, Mohammed Mokhzani said each Children’s Court — designated courtrooms that hear sexual offence cases involving children — in every court complex in Peninsular Malaysia is equipped with a full set, totalling five pairs.
Each pair is assigned to a specific age group and comprises both male and female dolls, representing infants, children, teenagers, adults and older persons.
Due to their importance in evidence-taking, he said anatomical dolls are a staple of the Judiciary’s Children’s Mobile Court initiative, with a set also kept in the Victims’ Nexus to Justice (VNEJ) — a specially designed van that serves as a mobile child witness room.
The VNEJ, which forms one of the initiative’s three components, is generally used in proceedings involving sexual offences against minors under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
*If you suspect child abuse, call the following hotlines for free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); Talian BuddyBear at 1800-18-2327(BEAR) (noon-midnight daily); and One Crisis Centre (24/7) Wilayah Persekutuan at 03-26155555 (Kuala Lumpur General Hospital), 03-61454333 (Sungai Buloh Hospital) or 03-83124200 (Putrajaya Hospital).
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