MORE than 1,000 cases of sexual abuse against children have been recorded by the Social Welfare Department (JKM) up until August this year.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri also reported that in 2023, there were 2,523 cases of sexual abuse against children.
She said police records showed there were 5,401 cases of sexual crime against children that year, and as of April 2024, there were 2,059 cases.
Sexual abuse is one of three types of child abuse handled by JKM, with physical and emotional abuse being the other two categories.
“In 2023, JKM received a total of 4,469 child abuse cases, while for 2024, up until August, there have been 2,240 cases,” Nancy said in a written parliamentary reply on Nov 27 to Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang).
He had requested the statistics for sexual and abuse cases involving children throughout 2023 and 2024, along with the ministry’s efforts to combat such cases.
The data also revealed that abuse cases involving girls were at least twice as frequent as those involving boys in both years.
While boys were more likely to suffer physical abuse, girls experienced higher rates of both sexual and emotional abuse.
The disparity between sexual abuse cases against girls and boys is staggering.
In 2023, there were 2,328 cases of sexual abuse against girls, compared to 195 cases against boys, while in 2024, up until August, there were 1,149 cases involving girls and 111 involving boys.
Nancy said the government takes all cases of child abuse or sexual crime against children seriously.
She noted that three laws are in place to protect children: the Child Act 2001, the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Care Centres Act 1993.
Amendments to the Child Act in 2016 also introduced harsher penalties, including increased fines and longer prison sentences under Section 31, said Nancy.
“Efforts to curb abuse and sexual crime against children should not be left to the government alone.
“Cooperation from all parties, whether individuals, communities, private sector organisations or non-governmental organisations, is needed to ensure these offences do not continue to shackle children in this country,” she said.
