KUCHING: The Sarawak government should take genuine action to investigate and punish those guilty of sexually abusing Penan women, said Sarawak Native Women's Association (Wadesa) president, Hellan Empaing.
"Wadesa is very disappointed with some government politicians who treated this matter as a petty issue," she said in a statement here.
Empaing said it was also disheartening to know that Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu himself denied hearing of such problems from ethnic chiefs when he visited Ulu Baram.
She said he had instead claimed to be doubtful of the Sept 8, 2009 report on the sexual abuse of the Penan women submitted by the National Action Committee that was spearheaded by the Women Development Department and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and even venturing that the non-governmental organisations had manipulated the research.
"If Jabu is still doubtful of the report, Wadesa wants the government to seriously investigate the allegations...because he is also Sarawak's Rural Development Minister and the head of the Penan Social Affairs Committee," said Empaing. She said Wadesa also wanted Sarawak police not to delay, but to expedite investigations.
The report released by the National Action Committee had stated that allegations that Penan children and women were sexually abused by traders and people working with the timber companies in the Ulu Baram area were genuine. - Bernama
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