KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 – In 2023, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) recorded a total of 4,469 child abuse cases. As of August this year, 2,240 child abuse cases were recorded by JKM.
These figures were provided by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), Nancy Shukri, in a written parliamentary reply on November 27.
She was responding to Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, who asked for figures and statistics of sexual and abuse cases involving children for 2023 and 2024.
Based on case handled by JKM, child abuse cases are divided into three categories, namely physical, sexual and emotional abuse, Nancy said.
She provided the breakdown of abuse categories and number of victims according to gender in the table above.
In both 2023 and until August 2024, girls made up the overwhelming majority of sexual abuse victims constituting 92.3 per cent and 91.2 per cent of cases respectively.
Girls also made up the bulk of emotional abuse cases, comprising 65.1 per cent of cases in 2023 and 68.7 per cent of cases this year as of August.
However, boys outnumbered girls when it came to physical abuse cases, with male victims making up about 55 per cent of cases in both 2023 and until August this year.
Meanwhile, according to statistics provided by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the total number of sexual crime cases involving children in 2023 was 5,401 cases.
PDRM recorded a total of 2,059 sexual crime cases against children from January to April this year.
Sexual crimes involving children are divided into fourteen categories including rape, gang rape, incest, molestation, behaving obscenely, spying, unnatural sex, child pornography, sexual communication with children, child grooming, meeting after gooming, non-consensual physical sex, non-consensual non-physical sex, and offences under Section 292 of the Penal Code, (distribution of obscene and pornographic materials, etc).
Nancy said one of the ways her ministry was addressing the problem was through its KASIH Kanak-Kanak (LOVE children) programme.
The objective of the programme, which began in 2023, is to spread awareness and advocate for child protection.
“The programme is not only aimed at children but also involves parents, teachers and the entire community. Among the contents of this programme is an interactive lecture session on children’s rights by JKM and child safety by PDRM, an interactive talk on cyber bullying by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and an interactive talk on anti-sexual harassment by the Women’s Development Department (JPW).
“As of November 5, 2024, the KASIH Kanak-Kanak programme has been implemented in 327 schools nationwide involving 174,079 participants,” Nancy said.
