KUALA LUMPUR: Children in Malaysia are vulnerable to online sexual exploitation, with some being stuck in a loop of sextortion.
The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has taken down 640 online child sexual abuse materials from 2023 till March this year.
These statistics were shared by MCMC Safety Communication Department head Saidatul Ashikin Abu Hassan during a panel session at the Convention on the Protection of Students from Sexual Exploitation.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which someone threatens to distribute private or sensitive material such as sexual images or videos unless the victim agrees to specific demands, which typically involve providing more explicit material, money, or other favours.
She also cited research which indicated that at least 4 per cent of Malaysian children who are active users of the internet have experienced four types of sexual exploitation.
"The first one is that they were offered gifts or money to share sexual photos of them and videos and the second one is that they were offered gifts to perform sexual acts in person.
"The next one is sextortion where they would blackmail the children. The last one is that they would contact the children again and threaten them if they don't share their (nude photos) they would spread the photos to their parents and school friends.
"Children do not want to disappoint their parents so they would again and again concur with the perpetrators," she said.
Federal Police Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11) chief assistant director Senior Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan, who is also a panelist, said the situation involving sexual crimes is even more pressing as it could occur even just in a phone call.
She said out of the total number of sexual crime cases, 70 per cent of the victims were children.
"Even during a phone call with the perpetrator, they could share nude photos just because they were coaxed or tricked. That is how easily a sexual crime could occur.
"The victim would be tricked to share their nude photos or perform sexual acts then they would be coerced to have sex with the perpetrators," she said.
She said children are at a high risk of becoming victims of sexual crimes due to their vulnerability and limited ability to protect themselves or understand the nature of such crimes, especially when perpetrated by adults aged 18 and above.
Siti Kamsiah said it is even more saddening that the perpetrators could be among those who are trusted by the victims, adding that there are even isolated cases of the police being the perpetrators.