Description
Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states:
- States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.
- For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.
The Bar Council Child Rights Committee (“CRC”) firmly believes that all children should be entitled to legal representation in court. To this end, CRC invites members of the Kedah and Perlis Bars to participate in this training, to equip themselves with the basic tools required to represent children in either criminal or civil proceedings, holding watching briefs and providing, where necessary, pro bono support to children in court processes. The one-day event will cover the following modules:
Module 1: Introduction and Approaches to Representing a Child
Module 2: Representing a Child in Con ict with the Law
Module 3: Sexual O ences Against Children / Special Guidelines
Module 4: Representing a Child in Family Custody Proceedings
The updated training modules will provide participants with an overview of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 as well as the Special Guidelines to be utilised in the Court for Sexual Offences Against Children. This elementary course will pave the way for an intensive training session aimed at developing child rights practitioners and future trainers.
Speaker
Ajeet Kaur, Messrs Gerard Samuel & Associates
Ajeet Kaur’s passion for child rights led her to be part of the team that pioneered CRC. Since founding CRC in 2016, she has co-helmed the committee and continued to build traction for child rights. She was invited by the Malaysian Government to be on the task force to advise on the drafting of laws, policies and special operating procedures to ensure protection of children in Malaysia. Ajeet has been trained under the Training of Trainers organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (“UNICEF”) in collaboration with the Bar Council, and conducted by the Canadian Bar Association. She has since trained Members of the Bar, legal officers, judges and the public.
Ajeet is a partner at Messrs Gerard Samuel & Associates and practises in civil, commercial and family litigation. In 1994, she earned her LLB from the University of London and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1996.
Srividhya Ganapathy, Messrs Muhendaran Sri
Srividhya Ganapathy is a law graduate of the University of Glamorgan, and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1996. She is a partner of Messrs Muhendaran Sri, a boutique law rm in Kuala Lumpur where she practises civil litigation, family law, conveyancing, and child law.
She has had a passion for child rights and has been the Co-Chairperson of CRC since its inception. She was also a member of the special task force formed by the Government to improve child protection in Malaysia, and actively advises on reforms to the laws on child protection in Malaysia. She regularly conducts training and seminars on child rights, and believes that child protection should be prioritised for a better Malaysia.
Wong Poh Leng, Messrs W K Yap, Loo & Co
Wong Poh Leng graduated from University of London, and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1992. Her practice areas include conveyancing, civil litigation and family matters. She is a registered mediator with the Bar Council, and an adjudicator registered with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (“AIAC”). She was part of the inaugural group who attended the Training of Trainers organised by UNICEF. She is a member of CRC and the Bar Council Human Rights Committee.
Balakrishna Balaravi Pillai, Messrs Krish Mano & Associates
Balakrishna, or better known as “BK”, was admitted as a Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn) to the English Bar in 2007, and subsequently was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2008. BK’s main areas of legal practice include criminal and civil (general) litigation, medico-legal law, and family law. BK is an active Yayasan Bantuan Guaman Kebangsaan (“YBGK”) lawyer, having been one of the earliest YBGK counsel since its inception in 2012, and has also served on the Bar Council National Legal Aid Committee. BK is currently a member of the Perak Bar Committee in charge of the criminal law portfolio; and was previously the Chairperson of the Perak Bar Committee’s Legal Aid and YBGK Subcommittee, and also the Court Liaison Subcommittee. BK regularly conducts the Dock Brief Training Programmes for pupils in chambers in Perak. Recently, BK represented the Bar Council (through its Criminal Law Committee) in the “AADK Drugs Transformation Lab: Workstream 2 — Laws and Policies”, organised by the Government and conducted by PEMANDU, to study the prospect of decriminalising certain areas of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Terms and Conditions
Please contact the organiser for further Terms and Conditions.
Please direct all correspondence (including completed registration forms and proof of payment) and enquiries to:
Florence Laway
(03-2050 2104; florence@malaysianbar.org.my)
Najwa Hamid
(03-2050 2102; najwa@malaysianbar.org.my)
Anusha Gopala Krishnan
(03-2050 2097; anusha@malaysianbar.org.my)
Fax: 03-2032 2043
