SHAH ALAM - In today's digital age, the seemingly innocent act of online interaction can become a dangerous gateway for child exploitation.
As cases of child grooming and online abuse continue to rise, experts are urging parents and guardians to be vigilant.
Speaking to Sinar Daily, child activist Roland Edward shared his experience and evolving perspective on the importance of protecting children from exploitation.
"Many years ago, I was in a community of "Kampung" style, where someone would comfort a child when the child was crying.
"I grew up in an environment where showing physical affection was normal, and nobody took advantage of kids or abused them," he recounted.
However, his experience as a part-time teacher in Kuala Lumpur led him to question these assumptions.
He realised that even seemingly harmless gestures could be exploited by predators.
"In school, kids weren't allowed to sit on our laps, even if they came to us.
"I had to keep a distance. It frustrated me because when a child is crying or in pain, I couldn’t just pick them up to comfort them," he said.
This discomfort ultimately led him to leave the school, but it also marked a turning point in his understanding of child protection.
"Now, working with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), I see how predators—particularly pedophiles—use these grey areas to groom children.
"Grooming isn’t just about physical contact; it’s about building trust, manipulating, or even blackmailing children online.
"Unfortunately, many in our society still view these issues through a narrow lens, shaped by cultural or religious biases, which clouds objective understanding.
"This mindset hinders efforts to protect children, as evidenced by the rescue of 402 children from exploitation," he added.
Roland highlighted the drastic but necessary measures some western countries have taken to protect children.
These measures, such as restrictions on posting photos of children online, may seem extreme, but they reflect a serious commitment to safeguarding young people.
"In certain places, grandparents can't even post photos of their grandchildren online.
"While some may see this as extreme, I’ve seen firsthand how pedophiles and child traffickers use family-shared pictures to kidnap or sell children, sometimes even for organ harvesting," he said.
Turning his attention to a local case involving an individual known as "Abang Bas," Roland voiced concern over the public’s reaction.
"What he’s done is inappropriate, but some people pity him.
"My question is, why? Grooming doesn’t always involve physical contact.
"Cyber grooming is a real threat that requires serious attention," he said.
Meanwhile, legal expert Alex Anton Netto stressed the seriousness of Abang Bas's alleged actions and the importance of holding him accountable.
"While everyone deserves a fair trial, this case should serve as a wake-up call for parents to be more vigilant about their children's online activities.
"Should they be crowdfunding to secure legal representation for him, I cannot disagree with that, as everyone is entitled to their day in court.
"However, this case should serve as a wake-up call for parents to be more vigilant about where their kids are and who they’re interacting with," he said.
When it comes to existing legislation, Alex said that Malaysia's laws are adequate but pointed out an ongoing issue.
"The laws are sufficient.
"What we lack is perhaps the enforcement of these legislations and community spirit," he added.
On Sept 6, a school bus driver who uploaded a video and posted a photo of a student he was ferrying was detained.
He was charged with two counts of committing sexual assault.
On the first charge, he was accused of sexual assault by kissing the cheek of a four-year-old girl, who is also his niece, between 5pm and 6pm on a school bus at Simpang Renggam, Kluang, between April and September.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable with imprisonment for not more than 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
On the second charge, he was accused of constantly watching a nine-year-old girl for sexual purposes between 5pm and 6pm at the same location this month.
The charge was framed under Section 15(a)(iii) of the same Act, punishable with imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine not more than RM20,000, or both, if convicted.
The court allowed him RM30,000 bail with one surety for both charges.
Yesterday, he was charged again in the Sessions Court, this time for allegedly using his TikTok account under the name Abang Bas to knowingly make and send an offensive comment in a video involving a nine-year-old girl, captioned "hari ini crush buat homework" followed by a "love" emoji as he allegedly watched her.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), which is punishable under Section 233(3) of the same Act.
If convicted, he could face a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, and an additional fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.
He was allowed RM10,000 bail for the charge.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and his cases will be up for mention on Oct 10.
To this, the sister of the 24-year-old school bus driver, Zarina Sari, who initiated the crowdfunding campaign expressed gratitude to those who contributed to the fund.
Zarina added that she would be updating about her brother's trial from time to time.
She also apologised on behalf of the family if there had been any misunderstandings, doubts or discomfort caused throughout the case.
However, Zarina did not disclose the final amount collected from the crowdfunding campaign.
The attempt to collect funds from the public to pay the bail for the man stirred debate and dissatisfaction among social media users as his offences involved minors.
Some social media users questioned why the public would help an offender who had put children at risk, while others were supportive of the idea based on the pretext that the bus driver was innocent and had done nothing wrong.