MalayMail/Bernama-Sept 27
There is fear of children becoming more exposed to sexual crimes that do not involve physical contact, like pornography, with them getting better access to smartphones and the Internet. This has been the concern of the Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
Its principal assistant director, ACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the division had been getting regular reports on sexual crimes involving child pornography.
She attributed this to, among others, the advancement in information technology, lifestyle and Internet access, especially with children now having widespread access to mobile phones and the Internet. Siti Kamsiah said that in 2020, the division received 24 reports on sexual crimes which were investigated under Section 509 of the Penal Code, and last year the number increased to 35. This year, a total of 11 reports were received between January and April, she said. Siti Kamsiah said the division would also inform the social media administrators to remove the pictures or videos. She said the public could also report directly to the Internet Watch Foundation which is an international non-governmental organization. Siti Kamsiah said sexual crimes against children are not a small issue because almost 60 percent of victims of sexual crimes in Malaysia were children. According to data obtained in 2020, she said there were a total of 4,274 victims of sexual crimes, including in rape, gang rape, incest, unnatural sex and molesting cases were recorded, with 2,567 of them children. “With children making up 60 per cent of the victims, it is something that should be taken seriously because there are various mental and psychological effects facing children who are victims of sexual crimes,” she said. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/09/27/bukit-aman-sexual-crimes-involving-children-on-the-up/30302
