Map stray dog ‘hotspots’ before more children are hurt, says Suhakam

Local authorities should map “child-sensitive roaming-dog hotspots” to prevent attacks on children, say the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (Suhakam) children’s commissioners.

The commissioners said the hotspots should include schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, PPR and flats housing areas, school routes, and locations with repeated complaints about roaming or aggressive dogs.

In a statement, they also called for the housing and local government ministry, state governments, local authorities, and the veterinary services department to adopt clearer, risk-based measures to manage the problem.

These should include prioritising complaints involving packs of aggressive dogs near homes and schools, establishing standard procedures for escalation and follow-up, and improving national data on animal attacks involving children.

The call follows an attack on a two-year-old girl who was allegedly attacked by five stray dogs near her grandmother’s house in Sungai Kelambu, Johor, on the morning of Sept 5.

The girl suffered serious injuries to her head and face and was taken to a district hospital before being transferred to Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Bahru.

The children’s commissioners said the incident should not be treated as an isolated case, citing several reports of children being attacked or bitten by roaming or stray dogs since 2023.

They also pointed to cases where children were hurt while fleeing dogs. In Sitiawan in 2024, a boy ran into traffic while being chased by a dog and was nearly hit by a car.

“Children have the right to live, play, walk and travel to school in environments that are reasonably safe from foreseeable and preventable risks,” they said, adding that young children are particularly vulnerable because of their size and limited ability to defend themselves.

They stressed that safety education for children, parents, schools and childcare providers was important, including guidance on avoiding aggressive animals and seeking prompt medical attention after a bite.

However, such education should not shift responsibility for managing a known public safety risk from authorities to children.

“A young child should not have to avoid playing outside their home, using a playground or travelling to school because of a foreseeable risk posed by roaming dogs,” the commissioners said.

“When a danger to children is known and reasonably preventable, we cannot wait for another tragedy before acting.”

They said managing roaming and aggressive dogs was not merely an animal-management issue, but also a matter of child safety and protection when children were exposed to foreseeable risks.

They also said enforcement must remain humane and lawful under the Animal Welfare Act 2015, stressing that child protection and animal welfare “can and must be pursued together”.

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