KUALA LUMPUR – Despite government efforts to create awareness on fighting sexual crimes against children, only 34.4% of parents have safety controls on their children’s electronic devices.
Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantau Panjang-PAS) said there are initiatives involving cooperation between police, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, and civil society groups to increase awareness in the community and among parents concerning the dangers of sexual crimes against children.
“We have made many videos in our efforts to raise awareness on how to deter these crimes. We are recommending legal provisions and harsher punishments for crimes involving the exploitation of children.
“There’s also a plan to curb apps and websites on the internet that risk sexual exploitation of children,” Siti Zailah told the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time today.
Additionally, she said the RM13 million allocated under Budget 2022 to the police’s D11 division will see an extra 100 appointments to address crimes against children.
Steven Choong (Tebrau-Independent) earlier asked which communities are more exposed to sexual exploitation, and the steps taken by the government to curb such crimes.
Siti Zailah answered that her ministry is cooperating with all parties and agencies to ensure increased awareness of the issue.
“We did a study recently, focusing on internet use. For last year alone, the study found that only 34.4% of parents have safety controls on electronic devices to keep their children secure on the internet.” – The Vibes, November 24, 2021
