Online child porn on the rise

PUTRAJAYA: Sexual exploitation of children online is on the rise, with over 100,000 Malaysian-registered internet protocol (IP) addresses having been identified to be involved in child pornography in the last six years, says Datuk Seri Rina Harun.

The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said data furnished by the police revealed that 106,764 IP addresses had been identified for sharing child pornography from 2017 until last month.

Rina said that at the same time, a study conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) found that parental control over their children’s Internet use was reducing.

According to the 2020 National Family Month Opinion Survey, parental control over children’s Internet use decreased from 62.5% in 2018 to 53.3% in 2020.

“So parents, let’s not be too complacent and neglectful, and take the initiative to be more aware of what our children are exposed to,” she said at the launch of a campaign against online sexual crime against children at IOI City Mall here yesterday.

Rina said parents must monitor their children’s use of the Internet to prevent them from becoming victims of sexual predators.

“Recently, we were surprised by the Litmatch application, which was abused by immoral individuals who used it as access to reach out to children and invite them to engage in obscene communication, or to attempt sexual grooming,” she said.

The minister hoped that the campaign, which was carried out in collaboration with several agencies, could help children gain valuable knowledge to help them navigate cyberspace.

“Once again, I urge everyone to collaborate with us, to unite and help in our fight against online sexual crime.

“We need to protect our children,” she said.

Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) assistant director Asst Comm Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the IP addresses were discovered with the help of the Internet providers.

“The police will continue to monitor such activities (sharing and viewing of child pornography).

“There is no room for them to escape. With this information (the IP addresses) we will continue to investigate until we identify and apprehend these online offenders,” she said.