KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 – Based on statistics by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the number of child abuse cases leading to death has been on the rise, increasing by 375 per cent from 2021 to 2024.
There were 44 cases in 2020 of child abuse leading to death and the number of cases plummeted the following year to 24 cases in 2021.
Since then, it has steadily increased to 74 cases in 2022, 98 cases in 2023 and 114 cases in 2024.
These figures were provided by Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Nancy Shukri in a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
She was responding to a question from Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin, who wanted to know how many cases of child deaths due to neglect and abuse occurred between 2020 to 2024 and how many of those cases were charged and convicted.
Yeo also wanted to know what steps are being taken by the ministry to prevent these deaths.
In her response, Nancy said one of the main steps taken by her ministry (KPWKM) to reduce the risk of abuse is the implementation of the Child Protection Advocacy Programme: KASIH Kanak-Kanak.
Among the contents of this programme launched in 2023 are interactive talk sessions on children’s rights, child safety, cyberbullying and anti-sexual harassment.
“In 2024, a total of 337 schools have implemented this advocacy programme, reaching more than 128,000 children,” she said.
“This programme is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), PDRM and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“In 2025, KPWKM targets the implementation of this programme in 300 schools and 30 selected children’s activity centres nationwide.”
In addition, as a preventive measure against incidents of abuse or neglect at nurseries and child care centres, the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) has improved the regulations and guidelines for nurseries and child care centres so that the well-being of children can be protected, said the minister.
Additionally, the Talian Kasih hotline 15999 is also available as an important communication channel that enables the community to make complaints quickly and easily.
This line operates 24 hours a day and is directly connected to JKM and PDRM for immediate action.
“This helps ensure that any cases of abuse or neglect can be detected early and action taken immediately before the situation gets worse,” Nancy said.
She added that the measures demonstrate KPWKM’s commitment to proactively implementing early intervention to prevent any incidents of abuse or neglect that could lead to the loss of a child’s life.
“This approach emphasises cooperation between various parties including the community, schools, health institutions and enforcement agencies to create a comprehensive protection network.”
