CRIB Foundation is deeply concerned by the recent statement from the Kelantan police chief suggesting that girls involved in statutory rape cases should be charged alongside their adult male perpetrators. This approach would effectively criminalise the child victims, entrenching a culture of victim-blaming and shaming.
Under current law, statutory rape charges are rightly brought against the man. To extend liability to the girl is a regressive proposal that fundamentally contradicts the protective purpose of the law.
