KUALA LUMPUR: Child activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi has clarified that his postings on social media are meant to raise awareness on the importance of child protection, and not to victimise religious institutions.
“It isn't logical for me to want to attack them. I came from a Maahad school. The message that I want to deliver was how child abuse could happen anywhere. It knows no limits.
“It just so happened that the first time the case came to me, it happened in a Maahad Tahfiz. It did not even occur to me that the Maahad Tahfiz would be an issue, because to me, it was not about where it happened, it was about saving children,” he said.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Syed Azmi explained that child abuse itself was something that could happen regardless of a person’s background.
“There were some who thought that I was trying to mar the image of religious institutions. This was not true at all. In fact, talking about religious schools could divert our focus from the real issue in hand; the prevalence of sexual abuse among children.
“It was not about which religion you embrace, or which school you go to. As long as there is space to harm children, child abuse could happen, that was it.”
His remarks came in the wake of allegations that his post on social media was directed towards a religious school belonging to a prominent preacher.
Explaining the situation, Syed Azmi said that a woman wrote to him about something sexual abuse affecting not just her child but also fellow students of a religious school.
“I intended it (the post) to be a cry for help for the mother (in that case), because she could not get the support from other parents to speak up for their children (who were sexually abused in the same school)."
Nonetheless, Syed Azmi said he was glad that his post managed to get more parents to speak up against child abuse, despite the controversy surrounding it.
“I was happy that it gathered attention and sparked conversation among parents, with regards to the safety of their children in their respective schools. It also inspired a number of parents to come forward and talk about how their children had been sexually abused.
“I have always maintained the anonymity of the individuals mentioned in my post. My posts serve to promote awareness, not hostility,” he said.