(From left) Haliza, Thanam and Chung at the press conference. The latter will be moderating the free forum where survivors of child sexual abuse will share their experience.
CASES of child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence are still being swept under the carpet due to lack of public awareness, says Johor Women’s League (Jewel).
Its president Thanam Visvanathan-Suresh said Jewel had come across many instances of family members stopping victims from lodging reports.
“There is also overriding concern of livelihood when the predator is the father or husband who is the family breadwinner.
“We have come across mothers who remained in denial of their husbands’ wrongdoings despite complaints from their children,” she said during a press conference in Johor Baru.
She added that victims might sometimes be deterred from lodging reports when informed by authorities about the long legal process and frequent trips to court.
Thanam said government agencies and bodies like the Welfare Department, police and the judiciary should take note of this and improve its preparedness in handling sexual crimes against children, to prevent under-reporting.
Also present at the press conference were Jewel past president Haliza Mohd Alip and University of Reading Malaysia psychology and clinical language sciences head Assoc Prof Dr Chung Kai Li.
Thanam said the government’s move to impose a RM5,000 fine on those who failed to report child sexual abuse was a positive move.
On Oct 23, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said that individuals who were aware of sexual abuse involving children but failed to make a police report could be fined up to RM5,000 under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 1972).
Aimed at curbing sexual offences against children, action would include charging those close to the victims like teachers and neighbours who might be aware of the abuse, said Azalina.
Thanam said topics like child sexual abuse were not easy to discuss, especially in Asian society which was more conservative.
“Cases of sexual abuse against children are more prevalent than we would like to admit.
“Perpetrators tend to get away with it due to secrecy surrounding the topic, the public’s poor understanding of the matter, and lack of awareness of the avenues available to help victims.”
She said the United Nations last year declared Nov 18 as World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence.
“To mark the occasion, Jewel is holding a free forum where survivors of child sexual abuse will be sharing their experiences of being targetted, manipulated, groomed and victimised, and how they came to heal and recover from such a traumatic journey.
“We will also be organising a 3.5km Jewel Butterfly Walk to raise public awareness and we are aiming for 300 adults to take part with about 100 children,” said Thanam.
The forum, “The Unexposed Truth – A Sharing of Survivor Stories”, will be held at Ponderosa Golf and Country Resort, Johor Baru, on Nov 17 from 4pm to 6pm.
The walk will be held at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Youth Centre in Johor Baru on Nov 18 from 6.30am until 11am with a fee of RM88 per adult and RM30 per child aged seven to 12.
For enquiries, call 016-716 0405 or 016-253 5226.
