Criminals target small and weak victims - Expert 

SHAH ALAM - A spate of recent murders has raised concerns about the safety of women and children in Malaysia.

What is more concerning is that these cases, involving various modus operandi, have occurred one after another in a short period, as if criminals are no longer afraid of the punishments that await them in court.

Management and Science University (MSU) criminology expert Nadiah Syariani Md Shariff said that women and children are more susceptible to violent crimes due to their smaller physical stature and inability to defend themselves especially against male attackers.

However, she noted that this was not the only factor in criminal victimisation.

“There are also other characteristics that criminals consider when selecting their targets, such as individual character and personality, age, gender, social routines and the type of crime being committed.

“Sometimes, the selection of victims is also influenced by environmental and situational factors, particularly involving victims chosen spontaneously and randomly.

“The choice of women and children could be due to physical strength and size, the age of children and personality traits that make them easily empathetic, putting them at risk of becoming crime victims,” she said.

Nadiah added that there were numerous factors that could influence a person’s decision to commit a crime nowadays.

She said besides life pressures, learning through observation and interaction with the environment and media could also be contributing factors, especially for juvenile crimes.

“At this age, teenagers tend to follow what they see through interactions with peers, adults around them, and what is shown in the media.

“When it comes to sexual issues, we also face problems like pornography addiction and gadget dependency among children and youths.

“Given the current times, it is difficult to pinpoint just one main factor driving criminal behaviour; instead, it involves cumulative factors along with triggers that push someone to commit a crime,” she said.

When asked whether the abolition of mandatory death penalties might encourage criminals to be less afraid of punishment, she said that although it has been abolished, murderers were still not exempted from long prison sentences or even the death penalty itself.

Therefore, she said that if an offender commits a crime for the first time, a long prison sentence would be enough to serve as a deterrent.

“In my view, the government has already established certain laws to protect women and children.

“For example, we have the Child Act 2001 and the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which protect the rights and safety of individuals under 18 years old from crimes and situations that could endanger them,” she said.

Nadiah said that severe penalties were also imposed under these laws, particularly on offenders who had a relationship or responsibility to care for these children.

She also said that the offence of rape under the Penal Code carries severe penalties such as whipping and long imprisonment, and the recent Anti-Sexual Harassment Act has been gazetted to combat any behaviour with elements of sexual harassment.

“In terms of law, we have sufficient legislation to address this issue. However, given the recent surge in cases involving women and children, I believe that crime prevention campaigns at the community level, focusing on these at-risk groups, need to be intensified.

“This is one approach to empowering at-risk groups as a crime prevention initiative,” she said.