Society For Equality, Respect And Trust For All Sabah (Serata) vice president Robert Hii. - Serata
Good way forward: (From left) Lai, Abinaya, Kok and Aleza laud the setting up of the special unit to fight child sexual abuse.
PETALING JAYA: The special unit to counter child pornography to be set up under the police Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) and more funding for One Stop Social Support Centres are long awaited moves, said women’s groups.
Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) Penang programme director Karen Lai said the added focus on addressing child pornography was good, especially the intent to collaborate with multiple agencies to nab perpetrators.
However, she pointed out that the term “child pornography” had been widely replaced globally by “child sexual abuse materials”.
“This is in line with international norms and standards as such materials are evidence of child sexual abuse.
“As far as children are concerned, when they are involved in such activities, it’s not pornography; it’s child sexual abuse, as children don’t choose to be in that situation. The correct definition is important so that the police recognise the seriousness of these crimes,” she said.
Budget 2023 also allocated RM8mil to strengthen the role of One-Stop Social Support Centres as early intervention against mental health and domestic violence issues.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will also set up a Child Development Department under the Social Welfare Department to give more comprehensive support to children.
Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) executive director Sivananthi Thanenthiran said it was great to see the government recognise the need to initiate efforts to stop violence against children and offer early intervention channels for mental health and domestic violence.
“These efforts are very much needed, as the rise in violence during the pandemic was well-noted, and there has been a considerable spotlight on mental health support as well.
“It will be good to explore how these services can be accessed more easily, as there continues to be considerable stigma and taboo around these issues, which also need to be tackled.
“Legislative changes are also necessary, such as the move to decriminalise suicide and strengthen actions to eliminate sexual harassment,” she added.
Abinaya Dhivya Mohan of the Women’s Aid Organisation pointed out that the focus on countering child porn activities and the One Stop Social Support Centres were positive but not new initiatives.
“We would like to know how the previous year’s allocations have been used and have benefited women and children. Do these interventions for mental health have a gender focus? Does it consider that allocations must go to more support for trauma-trained specialists and community services? There are many questions on how previous related allocations were spent,” she said.
Abinaya also expressed disappointment with how Budget 2023 was not very gender responsive, with “little consideration for bridging the gender gap”.
“TVET is a good example of a wasted opportunity to consider allocations with a gender lens. What is the data on TVET accessibility for girls? A gender-responsive budget would show that these are also taken into consideration and that the needs of all in Malaysia are truly thought out.
“Childcare allocations are also not cognisant of community-based childcare needs and access for the many families who fall outside the tax bracket. Those in the informal sector and in the B40 community are left out once again,” said Abinaya.
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) senior programme manager Lilian Kok hopes to see progressive improvements in the country’s cyber sexual crimes case management.
“Hopefully, the budget will enable D11 to eradicate this issue. We also applaud the government for recognising mental health as part of the effects of domestic violence. We hope that with a more concentrated department, they are able to focus on a wider range of areas that can improve the lives of Malaysian children,” said Kok.
Sisters in Islam, meanwhile, said while the added allocation for the One-stop Centres is “greatly welcome”, the issue of accessing these centres must be addressed.
“RM8mil is a good start, but we need to have more allocated because these support centres require people who are properly trained to provide the support,” said Aleza Othman.
