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Wednesday October 17, 2007

Government declares war on paedophiles

By RONALD BYRNE and JO TIMBUONG

PETALING JAYA: Cyber predators who target children via chat rooms on the Internet will be tracked down by the police and other enforcement agencies.

This measure comes in the wake of the move by the police to publish the names and offences of sex fiends in newspapers and on the Internet.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the Government was “declaring war” on paedophiles who posed as children or teenagers on the Internet.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
“It is not a problem in Malaysia but we should take early precautions. The ministry will propose to the Cabinet that the police set up such tracking teams.

“We will also seek the support of the relevant ministries and agencies to educate parents and students to be cautious of people that they chat with in chat rooms.

“They must be made to be aware that there are paedophiles posing as children or teenagers in online chat rooms to search for potential victims,” she said.

Shahrizat said the proposal would complement the Child Protection Policy which would be unveiled by the ministry soon after Cabinet approval.

She said that while parents were advised to be watchful of their children’s movements, they should also be aware of paedophiles on the Internet, saying they should not have a false sense of security.

“Many countries already have such police units and Malaysia should take a pro-active stand, given our stress on Internet literacy,” she added.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, in an immediate response, said the Child Protection Unit would be expanded to include such officers who were trained for such tasks.

The Commercial Crime Unit and Special Branch would also be tasked to keep tabs on cyber predators.

“The proposal is good and we have sent our officers to Britain for such training,” he said.

In Singapore, there has been a proposal to amend the Penal Code so that anyone aged 21 and above caught with the intention of having sex with a minor will face three years' jail or a fine, or both.

If there is sex, the offender can be jailed up to 10 years and be fined. Offenders will be charged with statutory rape if the victim is below 14.

Britain approved a similar law in 2004 which empowers the authorities to charge a cyber predator before he makes his move to sexually assault his victim.

Madeleine Yong, director of the Malaysian Coalition for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse said that while parents usually keep a sharp eye on the children in public places, they do not seem to realise that cyberspace can also pose a danger.

She said paedophiles used chat rooms and instant messaging services to communicate with children, trying to win their confidence.

The cyber predators would sometimes resort to masquerading as a child or teen online, with the aim of getting the victims to meet them in person.

“This technique is known as ‘grooming’ and is a common method,” Yong said.

While there are no local statistics for sex crimes involving children and teens, it has been reported that 75% of such crimes in the United States have connections to online chat rooms.

“No one talks about such crimes and no one lodges reports,” said Yong, adding that compiling statistics for these crimes would be difficult because victims and their families remain tight-lipped.

Loh Cheng Kui, director of the Penang-based Women’s Centre for Change, believes parents need to be more watchful when their children use the Internet.

She said children tend to be vulnerable because they are more trusting than adults and it only takes a few sweet words to win their hearts.

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