ABSTRACT
Issues concerning child welfare and protection have always occupied a prominent place in Malaysia’s social history. This is evident from the fact that the Malayan Union government1 enacted legislation like The Children and Young Persons Act 1947 and the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 as early as 1947 to address the needs of children and juvenile delinquency respectively. Legislative drafters continued to monitor the social sentiments regarding child welfare, and this concern extended to the protection of women and girls. Three decades later, the Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 was introduced to rescue women and girls2 from vice activities.
