KUALA LUMPUR: There has been a rise in rape cases involving underage girls in the past three years and police believe there is a link to the increased use of social media and WhatsApp by minors.
Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) principal assistant director Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan said investigations into underage rape indicate that many victims met the perpetrators through social media.
"This shows the girls have gone through a grooming phase," she said according to a Bernama report.
Siti Kamsiah said the perpetrators would start by showering the victims with praises, before soliciting nude images before finally asking to meet, leading to rape or gang rape.
In 2021, the police recorded 1,299 rape cases and this number rose to 1,388 (2022) and 1,590 (2023).
Gang rape involving underage victims also increased from 61 cases in 2021 to 103 cases (2022) and 104 cases (2023).
Sit Kamsiah said aside from serving as a platform to meet minors, social media was also being used by pedophiles to spread images of their sexual acts with children with others like them.
"They would share how they managed to trick a child and their joy at exploiting a child."
She said parents must teach their children how to use social media so that they do not share or do anything inappropriate and immoral.
"They (children) need to understand what can be a threat to them and how to protect themselves".
Parents must also monitor their children's activities on social media and the use of devices, to better protect them from becoming targets of pedophiles.