Children using the internet are exposed to virtual sexual threats

ALOR SETAR - The increase in sexual harassment cases involving children and adolescents, especially online, are becoming more concerning, says Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu.

Based on the 2021 United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Malaysia report, at least four per cent of children aged 12 to 17 who used the internet faced threats of online exploitation and sexual abuse.

Aiman said sexual harassment was a crime and a negative phenomenon that can have a detrimental impact on victims, especially children and organisations.

"Sometimes, children use the internet to make friends and make the wrong move by sharing their pictures that can be used to threaten them into committing sexual crimes.

"This includes being blackmailed into engaging in sexual activities, their sexual images being shared without consent or being coerced into sexual activities through promises of money or gifts," she said.

She said this during a press conference after launching the Jerayawara Kasih KPWKM@Advokasi Anti-Sexual Harassment campaign here today.

Aiman said there were 35 cases of sexual harassment involving children in the country last year, including two cases in Kedah.

"Therefore, we advise parents to be more vigilant about their children's activities when using gadgets or browsing online materials.

"Reports show that our children are highly exposed because they have their own gadgets and even though they are children, they are able to explore the outside world without boundaries. Do not let them get 'lost' in that world," she said.

Furthermore, she said sex education was no longer a sensitive subject in society as efforts were made to raise children's awareness of sexual harassment.

"Now is the right time for children to master sexual education, safe touch, the puberty process and physical changes in children when they reach adulthood.

"Do not consider sexual education too early because sexual offenders do not consider our children too young to be harassed," she said.

Aiman said perpetrators may view their actions as a joke and not harmful or a misunderstanding, but sexual harassment involved not only physical contact but also explicit language.

"All of these are precursors to more serious sexual offences. The normalisation of this behaviour must be stopped," she said.

Based on the police’s statistics, cases of sexual harassment increased from 378 cases in 2020 to 506 cases in 2021, with a slight decrease of 477 cases in 2022.

"Reported cases involve both men and women. However, the majority of victims are women, with 354 cases in 2020, 446 cases in 2021, and 416 cases in 2022. This indicates that more than 90 per cent of sexual harassment cases involving women occur every year.

"In Kedah, there were 23 cases of sexual harassment in 2022, 21 cases or 91 per cent of which involved sexual harassment against women," she said.

Meanwhile, Aiman also hoped that victims will report sexual harassment cases to the police and dispel the social stigma that made people embarrassed to face such cases.

"The reason is that victims are ashamed, as are parents. Through the anti-sexual harassment advocacy programme, we hope to provide a clearer understanding of the crime and the existing laws.

"We hope that more people will understand what sexual harassment is and what actions need to be taken. This includes collecting evidence, informing family members and close friends that they have been sexually harassed to facilitate the investigation," she said.

She added that a harmonious family environment can help build trust so that children can feel free to speak up and share their daily experiences.

"Children also need to be educated to differentiate between safe touches and unsafe touches," she said.