Unicef helps Malaysia with its new National Child Policy
The report, ‘Disrupting Harm in Malaysia’, estimated that prior to 2019, some 100,000 internet-using children aged 12 – 17 had experienced clear instances of online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Its Malaysian chapter, chief of child protection Saskia Blume told Sinar Daily that the outfit is supporting the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in drafting the updated policy based on insights from the ‘Disrupting Harm in Malaysia’ report.
“The new National Child Policy would be a comprehensive policy in terms of covering all the different areas such as justice for children, social works system, child online protection will also be a part of it.
“So, it’s a process where we start with the national policy and then we will look at the plan of action to actually make sure it is not just a piece of paper that gets implemented and seen through.
“It will actually have implications on how we protect our children,” said Blume adding the Unicef will also help update and review the national action plan of Child Online Protection in 2015 that expired in 2020.
“We are accessing what will be the action plan, what were the things that have worked well and the things that needs to be moved on from. This will also form the National Child Policy,” she pointed out.
The report which centered on online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSEA) estimated that prior to 2019, some 100,000 internet-using children aged 12 – 17 had experienced clear instances of such abuse.
The surveyed children in Malaysia – totaling to 995 – were discovered to be subjected to various forms of online sexual abuse and exploitation and other unwanted experiences online.
Nine per cent of children were subjected to sexual comments made about them that made them feel uncomfortable in the past year with the majority of these comments were made by someone they knew.
Nine per cent of children were sent unwanted sexual images in the past year.
Five per cent of children were asked to talk about sex or sexual acts with someone when they did not want to and three per cent received a request for a photo or video showing their private parts when they did not want to.
OCSEA is defined as a situation involving digital, internet and communication technologies at some point during the continuum of abuse or exploitation.
It can occur through a mix of online and in-person interactions between offenders and children.
The report was produced by Ecpat International, Interpol and Unicef Office of Research – Innocenti, with support from the Ministry and led by the technical committee chaired by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
