SHAH ALAM – A recent report by the Statistics Department reveals a disturbing increase in child sexual crimes in Malaysia.
In 2022, there were 1,621 reported cases, a 9.5 per cent jump from 1,481 cases in 2021.
The report noted that all categories witnessed an increase, except for sexual harassment and molestation cases, which decreased by 20.5 per cent and 63.3 per cent, amounting to 35 and 11 cases, respectively.
Among the total reported cases, rape saw the highest increase at 13.7 per cent, with 1,277 cases recorded in 2022 compared to 1,123 in 2021.
"Incest ranked as the second-highest reported crime, with 235 cases in 2022 versus 222 in the previous year.
"Unnatural sex followed as the third-highest with 63 cases, up by one from the previous year," the report read.
However, molestation cases decreased from 30 in 2021 to 11 in 2022, while sexual harassment cases also saw a decline from 44 cases in 2021 to 35 cases in the following year.
In terms of sexual crimes by state, Selangor recorded the highest sexual crime involving victims 18 years and below with a total of 338 cases in 2022, followed by Johor (150) and Kedah (149).
Universiti Malaya Senior Lecturer and Criminologist Dr Haezreena Begum when contacted said that such plight was even more pronounced for children in lower-income groups as children in this socioeconomic category were highly susceptible to abuse due to their vulnerability and trust in others.
She said that most often, perpetrators of sexual crimes involving children were people whom the victim had already known but the culture of shame associated with talking about sexual education while also incorporating more compassion when dealing with victims of sexual crimes needed to be fixed to curb such issues.
The uphill trend, she said, shines light on the current deficiencies in child protection and calls for a re-evaluation of the child protection laws.
Meanwhile, Yayasan Chow Kit founder Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin highlighted the need for child protection non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to adopt a trauma-informed approach when dealing with victims of sexual abuse.
With the rising cases of sexual abuse, the question remained if the Sexual Crime Registry System (eDKK) which was launched on April 1, 2019 by then Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh should be made public.
Despite not being available online, the list was accessible to the public if they acquired the MyKad identification number they wanted to check and go to the Welfare Department. Several criminologists said it was sufficient because there was a need to think about the convicts' future, family and reintegration into society.
However, some believed that it should be made accessible to protect the children and the public at large.
Dr Hartini said it was important to recognise the balance that needs to be struck between protecting the community and facilitating the rehabilitation of individuals who have committed sexual offenses when it comes to the discussion of the availability of the country’s sex offenders registry.