All must wise up about child sexual abuse to protect our kids, say experts

Victims will require psychological help and therapy to overcome the trauma even years after the incident. — Others

IT was just another day in kindergarten when the actions of a six-year-old girl shocked the entire classroom.

In the middle of lessons, the child started stroking and performing a sexual act on her male classmate.

Her teachers were left dumbfounded by what they saw and quickly reported the incident to the kindergarten’s principal.

“The principal then called me to ask for help,” relates Suriana Welfare Society chairman Dr James Nayagam, who assisted in the case.

He immediately advised them to take the girl to the hospital to be assessed by a medical team for sexual abuse.

“We later found out that the girl’s uncle had been grooming her and she was obviously unaware of her actions, whether they were right or wrong,” says Nayagam.

The uncle, who had also allegedly filmed her and uploaded the visuals, was arrested by the police, he recalls.

Through his experience as a child rights activist, Nayagam says children below six who have been sexually abused normally do not realise they have been victimised as they are too young to process the situation. Those above 10 would require counselling and reinforcement that they are not the ones to be blamed in the crime.

“Either way, victims will require psychological help and therapy to overcome the trauma even years after the incident,” he says.

With the growing number of child pornography cases, Nayagam says there’s a need for everyone, especially parents, teachers and the local community, to be alert for any potential abuse.

“Schools must know what to do when they come across children who have been sexually abused.

“They have a responsibility to immediately send the child to the hospital to be examined first,” he says.

Nayagam adds that the teachers should then either make a police report or contact the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s Talian Kasih Helpline at 15999. The public can also call the Suriana Welfare Society for advice at 1-300-882 200, he says.

Common signs of abuse victims are a child’s strange behaviour, unwillingness to participate in activities, or visible marks on the child’s body, Nayagam says.

As a child may confide in their friends, friends too must be taught to inform their teacher or an adult about the abuse.

“Sometimes, children also channel their feelings in art work and may use dark shades instead of bright colours,” he says.

Commenting on the high number of those involved in child pornography in Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy says it is definitely an unhealthy trend in society to have people with such sexual perversion.

“These people are a threat to society and we cannot simply label them as suffering from mental or psychological issues.

“The majority of them are normal, except for their sexual orientation towards children,” he says, adding that paedophiles should be detected, arrested and prosecuted in court.

“Enforcement authorities should take necessary action against these perpetrators, including charging them under the Child Act.

“We should have zero tolerance for these culprits,” he stresses.

Sundramoorthy calls on parents and guardians to also play a more active role in monitoring their children’s Internet use and behaviour.

“Children are very vulnerable and most of them are using electronic gadgets. How many of them are being monitored by parents or guardians?

“Sexual predators are preying on children by connecting with the young ones through chatting applications and even online games. Some would even persuade the children to show their private parts,” he laments.

All measures must be taken to tackle this issue effectively, he says.

“We must equip children with the necessary knowledge so that they can remain vigilant while communicating with people online.

“Paedophiles are known to sway the minds of the young, thus efforts must be made to prevent the culprits from doing so. Society as a whole, especially parents and educators, must play their part,” says Sundramoorthy.

Meanwhile, Malaysians Against Rape, Assault and Snatch Theft (Marah) founder Dave Avran says although Malaysia prohibits access to most pornographic websites, there are ways to get around these limitations.

“Strict steps are required to guarantee a safer online environment when it comes to safeguarding minors,” he says.

The newly amended Sexual Offences Against Children Act adequately fills the gap at this stage, he feels.

“It is designed to better safeguard children against sexual abuse. It includes every crucial aspect of protecting a child from both physical and non-physical offences, such as grooming, groping, and stalking.

“It also addresses extraterritorial application, which implies that if a Malaysian commits an offence covered by the Bill against a child outside of Malaysia, they could still face the same penalties as if they had done so here,” Avran says.

He is also encouraged that the Penal Code has been modified to ensure swift prosecutions to reduce the backlog of cases.

The dark web hosts websites that sexually exploit minors but are hidden behind anonymity and encryption. — Dreamstime/TNS

As the landscape of criminality evolves, there should be forthcoming enhancements to tackle the issue of child sexual abuse more holistically.

“To begin with, the government, civil society, and the private sector should take a proactive stance to advance and spread a set of best practices online regarding child sexual abuse and child pornography, raise public awareness of the problem, dispel any notion that child pornography is acceptable, and emphasise the interdependence of the online and offline worlds,” he says.

Avran says the dark web hosts websites that sexually exploit minors but are hidden behind anonymity and encryption: “Even while child pornography is abhorrent enough, some of the most vile pictures and videos of maltreated children are sold online for huge sums of money.

“Online child pornography is supported by offline child sexual abuse for every image and video that is posted. Many of these abusive behaviours go unpunished in legal proceedings,” he says.