PUTRAJAYA: Knowledge and awareness are essential to prevent children from becoming victims of sexual predators.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said this could be more effectively done through sex education campaigns via interactive social media platforms such as YouTube, Bernama reports.
“YouTube is not solely for entertainment purposes, but also as an effective, interactive educational resource,” she said at the launch of the sexual predation awareness campaign via the Youtube digital medium.
According to Dr Wan Azizah, the campaign is the government's latest effort to help reduce the number of children falling prey to paedophiles, which is a source for worry.
Five videos, lasting one-minute each are shown in the form of advertisements, which are screened before children get to watch their favourite videos such as children's songs, cartoons, recognising letters and colours, and so on.
Dr Wan Azizah says the ministry is targetting about 150,000 children in the country to view the 'safe touch' and 'bad touch' sex education video, which starts airing today on Youtube.
“We hope through this, children will be able to identify any signs of suspicious behaviours as early as possible and report them immediately."
“We are taking this creative step to deliver and disseminate the sex education video to children so that it can help reduce incidents of sexual crimes on children in Malaysia.
"The existing intervention approach that focuses on the target group will continue and be improved. At the same time, a creative approach through YouTube videos will ensure the message can be delivered more widely across the ministry’s target group," she said at the video launch media here, today.
The video is jointly created by the ministry and non-governmental organisation Malaysians Against Pornography and Google.
Dr Wan Azizah noted that it had become the trend for parents to allow their children to watch YouTube not only as a source for learning but also for interactive education.
“However, they must monitor their children's screen time. The ministry suggests no screen time or limited access to the internet for children below two years old," she added.
Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister Hannah Yeoh told reporters that the ministry supported the call by Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) for the private sector to introduce paternity leave of at least seven days.
She said effective parenting required both father and mother to play a role.