PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) is launching a comprehensive grassroots campaign to raise awareness against child sexual exploitation with strong collaboration from NGOs, community centres, and educational institutions at every level.
Its deputy president, Nurul Izzah Anwar said commitment must start from the ground up and the party will also set up awareness counters in public spaces, using local icons to amplify the message.
"There will be direct involvement of community leaders and district coordination offices in advocacy and monitoring,” she said.
In January this year, Izzah recalled that she was the target of online rape threats.
“A police report was lodged, and Alhamdulillah action was taken. But when it comes to the ongoing sexual harassment and exploitation driven by thousands of active online predator networks, far more remains to be done,” she said.
The exposure of a Facebook group named ‘Grup Budak-budak Sekolah Rendah’—which uploaded sexually explicit content involving primary school children—is not just an alarming incident; it is a national disgrace, she said.
She said remedial action by regulators and social media platforms to shut the group down alone is not enough.
“What we need—urgently—are coordinated, decisive actions from government agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM).
“As KEADILAN deputy president and as a mother, I urge the Ministry of Communications and MCMC present a clear and transparent mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of digital child protection systems,” she said.
She said KPWKM and PDRM should table open reports on the current and all past cases so the public can track progress and accountability.
She said there should be Parliament briefs on the status and effectiveness of the special D11 sexual crimes unit, a year since its establishment, to assess its strengths and shortcomings.
“Offenders are increasingly turning to sophisticated technologies and the ‘dark web’ to hide their tracks.
“This is not the first time we have witnessed such horrors—but action, as always, comes too late.
“We applaud social media activists and influencers such as Mekyun, Sue Emoqwin, Nani Roslan and others for bravely exposing online sexual exploitation to public attention and raising public awareness. It is time to band together and follow suit,” added Izzah.
According to official 2023 data, cases of child sexual crimes have risen by 26.5%, while child pornography cases surged by an alarming 139.3%.
“These are not just numbers. They are a collective cry for immediate, systemic reform, not just well-worded laws that gather dust.
“The burden is ours to bear, collectively. We can no longer afford to remain passive observers.
“In the face of a growing digital threat, we must rise as protectors—resolute, responsible, and unafraid to confront the rot at its roots,” she added. - June 22, 2025
