THE existence of our own paedophiles online, as reported in the local media, has sent shivers down our spine, especially in parents.
While British paedophile Richard Huckle is behind bars in the United Kingdom for the sexual crimes he committed against children and babies in Malaysia, local child protection non-governmental organisations and the media have revealed disturbing realities — there are local paedophiles in our midst, and it is not easy to spot them.
A paedophile — someone who is sexually attracted to children — is deceptive and manipulative when he uses child grooming for sexual exploitation.
Child sexual grooming involves a paedophile who befriends and establishes an emotional connection with the child and, sometimes, the family, with the intention to sexually abuse the child. This can also happen over the Internet, with the paedophile arranging to meet the child in person or the “online friendship” turning into pornography or sex trafficking.
Paedophiles may appear to be normal and can be someone we least suspect. They can be anyone, old or young, educated or otherwise and of any race.
Police cases as reported in the media revealed that teachers also had been found guilty of sexually abusing the pupils under their care. The proliferation of technologies such as the Internet and mobile gadgets has made it possible for paedophiles, irrespective of geographical locations, to access children wherever they are, including at home.
A team of young journalists with a local English daily who went undercover to identify cybersexual predators found that local sex addicts are targeting underage girls on mobile chat apps to manipulate them to engage in sexual acts.
Today’s children are Internet-savvy, but they are not mature enough to rationalise, assess or filter what is right and wrong on the Internet. It is therefore, imperative for parents, society, enforcement authorities, media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to protect children against sexual predators, online or otherwise.
Since 2010, the police has received more than 400 reports of Internet-related rape cases, of which 339 involved minors. Sadly, the cases are only the tip of the iceberg.
Malaysia needs to introduce anti-grooming law. We need to go all out to prevent sexual predators from exploiting our young children. Malaysians are urging the authorities to establish a registry of sex offenders, which should be separated from the registry of criminal offenders.
The new law, which should clearly define all sexual crimes, including intended sexual abuse, will empower our law enforcement agencies to detect and nab the perpetrators before the act occurs. A sexual predator should be charged even if he has yet to harm the victim.
In coming out with the anti-grooming law, the authorities and agencies such as the police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry should get feedback from child protection NGOs. These NGOs have a lot of experience in uncovering children sexual abuse cases and dealing with the victims.
We should also learn from other countries’ experience in introducing effective laws to deal with child grooming. Child sexual grooming has been criminalised in countries like Singapore, Australia, Canada and Britain.
Police should also be well-trained to spot possible child groomers, especially those behind the computer keyboards. Police should also be trained to get evidence from children, who are mostly traumatised by the sexual abuse, to ensure prima facie cases against the accused. Our judges, lawyers and prosecutors should also be sensitive to child abuse cases.
Besides legislation, sex education should be introduced to preschool and primary school pupils to help them be aware of sex predators. Public awareness campaigns are also necessary to educate Malaysians about child sexual abuse, pornography and paedophiles. Some Malaysians prefer to keep child sexual abuse under wraps for fear of social stigma, especially if the abusers are family members. We cannot afford to take the matter lightly. The negative impact of child sexual abuse may last until adulthood. Victims may experience post-traumatic stress which, in turn, affects their development, social and personal interactions and relations. Survivors of child sexual abuse should receive counselling so that they could build their self-esteem and lead positive lives.
Convicted paedophiles must undergo therapy, treatment and medication as paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder where an adult or older teenager experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction towards pre-pubescent children. Treating paedophiles may be new in Malaysia but in countries like Germany, the UK and the United States, therapies, treatments and medications have been and are being developed.
According to the CyberSAFE 2015 survey, more than 90 per cent of schoolchildren in Malaysia use the Internet, and 83 per cent are susceptible to online dangers due to poor supervision.
The survey, which gathered response from more than 18,000 schoolchildren from 216 secondary schools over a period of seven months, found that some respondents had sent intimate photos or videos to someone on the Internet while others had been asked to upload intimate photos or videos of themselves on the Internet.
Some respondents had accessed pornography on the Internet.
This is the time to act. We have to be firm and committed to addressing the issue of child sexual abuse. We cannot let the matter rest. There are paedophiles walking among us and a child is being groomed somewhere in the country or over the Internet even as we speak.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE,
senior vice-chairman, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation