KUALA LUMPUR: There has been an alarming increase in sexual crimes against children in the country.
Minister of Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said in a Facebook post revealed that from 2017 to last year (2023), the number of victims reported was at 6,990.
However, last year alone, the number of victims stood at 1,570.
"The government is aware that the figures did not reflect the overall situation due to the issue of under-reporting of cases," she added.
Today, the Legal Affairs Division together with the Education Ministry held a meeting that was attended by Azalina and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, along with representatives from the division and ministry.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Attorney General's Department, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, the Social Welfare Department, and the police.
The objective of the meeting was to strategise towards addressing the urgent issue of under-reporting of sexual crimes against children.
Both ministries in a joint statement said that a large percentage of victims were those between the ages of 13 and 15, with 110 cases involving children under the age of six last year.
"Based on statistics from the police, more than 80 per cent of sexual crimes against children involve individuals known to the victims.
"One of the big challenges facing the government today is the lack of reporting of cases, especially among children," read the statement.
As such, both Azalina and Fadhlina said following the launch of the Guidelines for Handling Cases of Sexual Offences by the Education Ministry; the unity government is actively increasing its efforts to increase awareness among students and educators regarding the legal provisions related to this issue.
"The government is also working on establishing an effective and child-friendly reporting mechanism in educational institutions under the Education Ministry," the statement added.
To facilitate the implementation of this effort, the Legal Affairs Division will sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Education Ministry.
"A comprehensive awareness campaign involving all relevant sectors and agencies in efforts to combat this crime will be launched soon, to emphasise the responsibility of each individual to report incidents of child sexual abuse."
The joint statement added that Section 19 of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act (Act 792) provides that failure to report a sexual crime against children is a crime.
"The provision clearly illustrates how important it is for Malaysians to be the eyes and ears of the government in dealing with this issue."
The campaign, among others, will involve the 'training of trainers' approach, where teachers and community leaders will be educated to effectively detect and report cases of sexual offences against children.
"The unity government is committed to working hand in hand with Malaysians to overcome the challenge of under-reporting cases of sexual crimes against children to continue fostering a safe environment for our children," added the statement.