KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 – The number of cases of sexual offences involving children reported to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in 2023 increased by 26.5 per cent at 1,567 cases as compared to 1,239 cases in 2022, according to the Children Statistics Malaysia 2024 report, released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) last November 1.
The offence of physical sexual assault on a child recorded the highest number of cases in 2023 at 1,389 cases, which is an increase of 21.1 per cent from 1,147 cases the previous year.
Non-physical sexual assault is the second most common type of sexual offence involving children in 2023 with 91 cases, an increase of 97.8 per cent from 46 cases in 2022.
This is followed by child pornography, which had a substantial increase of 139.3 per cent from 28 cases in 2022 to 67 cases in 2023.
Sexually communicating with a child went up slightly from 15 cases in 2022 to 16 cases in 2023.
Child grooming cases in 2023 doubled to four from two cases in the previous year.
There were no cases of meeting following grooming in 2023, which is an improvement from a single case the year before.
Meanwhile, the number of sexual crime cases involving children increased by 15.2 per cent in 2023 with 1,868 cases as compared to 1,621 cases in 2022.
All cases in this category increased except for molest cases which remained unchanged at 11 cases.
Rape cases recorded the highest increase in 2023 at 17.5 per cent to 1,500 cases from 1,277 cases the previous year.
This was followed by unnatural sex (15.9 per cent), from 63 cases in 2020 to 73 cases in 2023.
Incest cases went up by 5.5 per cent to 248 cases in 2023 from 235 cases the previous year.
Sexual harassment rose slightly by one case from 35 cases in 2022 to 36 cases in 2023.
