KUALA LUMPUR: The designation of 'religious figure' has been exploited by certain individuals to commit sexual crimes, with statistics showing a rise in cases involving those bearing such titles.
Federal police's Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11) principal assistant director Senior Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the perpetrators typically include religious teachers, celebrity preachers, and ustaz, Kosmo reported.
She said many victims idolised these religious figures.
"Perpetrators who use their status as religious figures gain the trust of their victims before engaging in grooming.
"The modus operandi of such individuals involves adopting a kind and generous approach, such as giving gifts or showing kindness to the victim, before requesting the victim to perform indecent acts such as massaging intimate areas, genitalia, or engaging in sexual acts," she was quoted as saying in Kosmo.
Siti Kamsiah said while most reported perpetrators are men and their victims women, the number of male victims is also increasing.
"They begin with requests for massages, which then escalate to sexual acts.
"Most victims felt embarrassed to share their experiences or report the incidents.
"In cases involving children, these crimes are often uncovered when one victim reveals the misconduct of a religious figure, prompting others to come forward with similar experiences," she said.
She said that in some instances, perpetrators manipulate the situation to make victims feel guilty or ashamed about disclosing the incident.
Siti Kamsiah cited a case involving a teenage boy who initially refrained from reporting the matter until the case was eventually uncovered by others.
The victim, she said, hesitated to come forward out of fear that the perpetrator would become angry, especially since the religious figure had provided financial support.
"This is an example of how the grooming process works, with perpetrators employing manipulation techniques such as offering gifts or money.
"For male victims, they often do not recognise the seriousness of the sexual acts, as these do not result in pregnancy. Consequently, they may refrain from reporting the incidents.
"They only come forward when they can no longer endure the perpetrator's behaviour," she said.