KUALA LUMPUR: The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) is appalled by the 12-year jail sentence meted out to the teenager found guilty of throwing her baby out of a second-floor window.
It expressed concern that Noor Atika Kamarulzaman, 19, was unrepresented in court, and urged the judiciary to call for a revision of the case.
JAG said this yesterday when asked about the sentence the Sessions Court had slapped on Noor Atika last week after she pleaded guilty to causing the death of her child in Taman Selayang Segar 2, between 3.30am and 7.15am on Oct 3 last year, by throwing the newborn out of a second-floor window.
“The issue of unwanted pregnancies and babies is serious and we believe that there is an urgent need to prevent such incidents from recurring.
“Nevertheless, the sentence is too harsh as she was a minor then.
“It does not take into account the different factors that may have affected her actions then, including post-partum depression,” JAG said in a statement to The Star.
Prior to sentencing, Welfare Department officer Mohd Sabry Ahmad had submitted a report recommending the court consider imposing a good behaviour bond.
Commenting on the fact that Noor Atika was unrepresented, JAG said the courts should facilitate the right to counsel “even if it means that the Government has to pay for legal expenses so as to ensure a fair trial”.
JAG reiterated its position that a systematic and non-punitive approach, including the provision of sex education in schools, would give a more positive outcome in addressing unwanted pregnancies in the long run.
On Wednesday, The Star reported that the Bar Council’s National Legal Aid Committee (NLAC) would apply for a revision of the sentence.
Yesterday, its chairman Ragunath Kesavan said a member of Noor Atika’s family had approached the committee on Friday for help in appealing the sentence.
“If that goes ahead, we won’t need to apply for a revision.”
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©The Star, 6 Feb 2012 (Used by permission)
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