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Violence against children includes physical and mental abuse as well as injury, neglect, exploitation
and sexual abuse.

Tragically, children experience violence in all spaces most familiar to them: in homes, schools, parks
and communities they live in. They also suffer abuse and exploitation in orphanages, on streets, in
the workplace, in cyberspace as well as in places of detention.

Malaysia: Child abuse Reported to the Royal Malaysian Police

Year Total Cases Monthly Ave

2005 2,236 186

2008 5,744 479

2011 3,428 286

Like in most countries, only extreme child abuse and neglect cases are reported in Malaysia, often
involving tragic elements of disturbing injuries, sexual abuse or even death.

International experience suggests that reported cases are likely to represent only 10 per cent of
total cases perpetrated as most victims and their families remain too ashamed or unable to report
the violations against them.

Violence affects children's physical and mental health, impairs their ability to learn and socialise,
and undermines their development as functional adults and good parents later in life. In the most
severe cases, violence against children can also lead to death.

The causes of violence against children are complex. Family breakdown, stress, chronic poverty,
unemployment, mental health disorders, substance abuse, homelessness, community violence and
lack of quality parental time contribute to cases of abuse and neglect of children.

Recent Child Murders In Malaysia, What Are We

Doing About It

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Published on Thursday, 01 September 2016 08:07
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Malaysias growing number of brutal child abuse and murder cases has made headlines as
the public reacts with shock and outrage. Why do offenders target the innocence of
children? Why destroy a life that has so much to look forward to?

Two weeks ago Noor Amila Edrus Norsham, went missing from a surau near his home in
Jinjang Utara and was later found - decomposed, limbs bound and headless - in Kampung
Kemensah near Zoo Negara off Jalan Ulu Kelang, NST reports.

Media reports state that the five-year-old boy, affectionately known as Edrus, fell victim
to a sadistic assault-cum-murder, or was merely collateral loss over a financial dispute
between adults. Edruss father, Norsyam Jalil, labeled those who killed his son as
"heartless."

As the nation prepared to celebrate the National Day, there was no respite from facing
this gruesome side of human nature.
Two-year-old Nudzirah Nur Safiah Sabaruddin had been dead for three hours before her
sister and brother-in-law who were taking care of her in Dungun as both her parents
worked in Kuala Lumpur rushed her to hospital. The police was alerted when the
attending doctor became suspicious when he found bruises and marks on the girl's body,
NST reported on 30 August.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been a string of cases of child deaths that
result from abuse and mistreatment.

In February, a suspected victim of child abuse, 14-month-old Nurain Damia Mohd

Naqudden died from her injuries after battling for her life for six days. Upon
investigation, police found out that Nurains babysitter admitted to hitting the baby girl
on the head but explained that she did not do it with force and only used her hands slowly
to hit the toddlers head, a local online news portal FMT reports.

The following month, a 34-year-old cook was arrested to facilitate investigation into the
alleged abuse of his seven-year-old son, which led to the boy's death. The boy died of
severe internal injuries in hospital, five days after he was rushed to the Kota Tinggi
hospital for injuries. Police were alerted when doctors noticed cigarette burn marks and
unexplained swelling on the boys head, NST reported. According to media reports, the
father had claimed the boy hit his head on the toilet at home and had bouts of fits.
Who can forget eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin, who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and
murdered in 2007 with her broken naked body stuffed into a sports bag? Until today, her
murderer has not been caught. Let's not forget about six-year-old William Yau Zhen
Zhong who went missing in Subang Jaya in 2013 whose body turned up in the Klang
River six days later. Again no one has been charged with his death.

Home minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had told Dewan Rakyat in March last year that
Malaysian police have noted with concern the rising number of cases of violence in the
domestic front that resulted in 67 child deaths over the last seven years.

He also pointed out the increase in domestic violence that left young victims with long-
term trauma and injuries in a written reply to a question posed in Parliament over child
deaths. Add to these statistics, the prevailing assumption that for every case brought to
the attention of the police, many more go unreported.

Malaysian Digest approached various political stakeholders to seek their views over the
brutal child murder issues and looked at the social ramifications of the issue.

I Believe The Public And People Should Have Some Care About This As The Child
Happens To Be Our Neighbour -Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Former Inspector General Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan, believes the most pertinent
reasons for brutal child murders is to look at the psychological triggers and the social
fabric of the community.

In a telephone interview with Malaysian Digest, Tan Sri Musa says such tragedies happen
probably because those perpetrators that were involved in this type of crime have
psychological disorders to begin with and circumstances allow them to act out their urge
to commit the crime.

Secondly, he raised the issue of parents today who are too busy with their jobs and
careers for placing too much trust on caregivers, a third party paid to oversee their
children who sometimes expose them to strangers. They should always teach their
children to be alert and never to approach them.

I think it happens most frequently in the town areas where the people staying in that
area; they are not together, not a strong community, said Musa.

He explained how Malaysians living in urban communities no longer foster close

relationships, as they dont even know their neighbours. Hence, neighbours can be
ignorant and heartless if they see a child on the road and they do not even care enough to
know who is this child let alone bother about where he or she comes from.

At the moment, there is a threat with the possibilities of brutal child murders in Malaysia
as there are a lot of people now who are involved with paedophilia.

A few months earlier, Malaysians were alarmed to hear the news that a British man had
been quietly abusing children in Malaysia, targeting marginalised communities like the
Orang Asli settlements and posing as a volunteer teacher to gain the childrens trust.

Richard Huckle, one of Britains worst paedophiles, took pictures and videos of himself
sexually abusing Malaysian children which he uploaded to the dark web.

Huckle, who posed as an English teacher, faced a total of 91 charges for sexually
assaulting 23 children in Kuala Lumpur, mostly from poor Christian communities, and
admitted the offences were committed between 2006 and 2014. Investigators revealed
that there could have been up to 200 child victims during the nine years he lived around
Kuala Lumpur's suburbs.

Tan Sri Musa highlights how the trend of city dwellers not making the effort to get to
know their neighbours anymore as a problem that needs to be addressed.

I believe the public and people should have some care about this as the child happens to
be our neighbour. So when you hear about something amidst going on in the house next
door or children shouting for example, they do not have the initiative to inform the
authorities. If only the people are cautious enough to inform authorities and therefore
prevent brutal child murders from occurring.
There must be closer cooperation among the public, said the former IGP.

Society Must Act As Active Bystanders If We Suspect A Child Is In Danger

Womens Aid

It is difficult for any of us to face the ugly facts of child murders but this is precisely why
we cannot ignore the harsh realities posed by the recent cases.

Whether the children were caught in crossfire or intentionally targeted for brutal murders,
cases like these often hit a nerve in our society because we see children as innocent
individuals whom we need to protect from violence.

The number of children in need of protection and care following abuse and neglect cases
under Section 17(1) (a) to (k) of the Child Act 2001 has increased from 3,257 cases in
2010 to 4,453 cases in 2015, according to available statistics from the Welfare
Department.

Womens Aid Organization (WAO) says authorities must respond immediately and
proactively to reports of missing children and violence against children.
We must also be aware of the entire spectrum of violence against children. Child murder
is one of the most severe forms of violence against children, and we are rightly shocked
and grieved by such cases.

We must also condemn all violations of childrens rights, including child murder, child
abuse, child sexual abuse, child marriage and so on. said WAOs Tan Heang Lee who
spoke to Malaysian Digest about the recent cases.

Heang Lee points out that at present, Section 302 of the Penal Code is applied to whoever
commits murder as this provision applies to both the murder of children and adults.

However harsh penalties alone does not offer sufficient deterrent and the public as a
society must act as active bystanders if we suspect a child is in danger.

She highlights how it is crucial for all parties who interact with children daily, whether
they are child care centres, nurseries, schools, teachers and the authorities to act promptly
when coming across suspected abuse of children as delay can often lead to fatalities.

The most horrific murder case the country has witnessed in recent times shook every
Malaysian up when eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin was abducted, raped and
murdered. Her case remains unsolved since 2007 until today, and her killer(s) remain on
the loose.

Nurin was brutally violated and her abductors ruptured her rectum. Her murder case
should have in fact been enough as a wakeup call for the nation then, and perhaps it was
also a signal to the unravelling of more dark secrets of heinous crimes against minors that
we have seen occurring the past years.

Whats important is that the authorities investigate the murder crime thoroughly, the
public prosecutor makes a strong case in court, and the court actually holds the
perpetrator accountable for the murder.

Currently, the punishment for murder under Section 302 of the penal Code is the death
penalty. This punishment is already very severe. commented Heang Lee.

The Law Is Sufficient But The Problems Are With The Enforcement - Criminal
Lawyer
When asked if there were any specific law in Malaysia that governs towards this heinous
crime, practising criminal lawyer Salahhudin Hamzah explained there is no legislation
made specifically for child murder. The only legislation regarding murder is provided
under Section 300 of the Penal Code (Kanun Keseksaan) that already brings the harshest
sentence which is death (Provided under Section 302).

Also, there is a law to punish the parents of the child due to their carelessness and
negligence that might have caused or exposed their children to violence (and sex
violence). This is provided under section 31 of Child Act 2001.

From my opinion, the law is sufficient to prevent the crime but the problems are with the
enforcement and awareness by the parents themselves. In terms of punishing the
murderer, there is no problem about it. However to punish the parents for neglecting and
exposing the children to danger is hard to be enforced as the danger can only be seen
when the harm has been done, especially when the child is already abducted or murdered.

Thus, it's hard to charge them under this section. Furthermore, even after the crime has
been committed, authorities are unlikely to charge the parents under this Act due to
family sensitivities as they are surely going through a hard time.

According to Salahuddin, we should enforce stricter enforcement on negligent parents

(under Child Act 2001) so it will be a deterrent factor for other parents to not to take the
welfare and safety of their children lightly in regards to whether our existing law needed
amendment.

It is the enforcement of the law that should be stressed upon. I do believe many parents
in Malaysia are not even aware about the existence of Child Act 2001. he told Malaysian
Digest.

The Child Act (Amendment) 2015 was passed by Dewan Rakyat in April this year which
addressed many outdated loopholes to better protect children against abuse and neglect.

The amended legislation complies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Children and covers provisions for better and proper parental care as well as deters
guardians and other adults from committing cruel acts against children.

The penalties have been made heavier for child abuse and neglect with a fine of up to
RM50,000 and maximum jail of 20 years. A notable and welcome addition is that of a
child registry that contains details of perpetrators of crimes against children to be
managed by the Welfare Department.

The government has taken a major step when announcing they will have a child sex
offender registry. Child murder cases are commonly related to sex crimes as well. Hence,
the registry will be helpful to ensure that these child sex offenders are not in close
proximity with children at any time, Salahuddin points out.

Recently the Malaysian government has decided to make it a national priority to address
this issue by setting up of a task force announced earlier this week, in a Cabinet level
approach to ensure recent amendments to the Child Act are followed by effective
enforcement with the close cooperation of relevant authorities.

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and representatives from Women, Family and
Community Development Ministry have formed a new task force to deal with child sex
crimes, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman in a
statement to the media.

The joint task force will comprise members of parliament, officials from Bar Council,
Malaysian Shariah Lawyers Association (PGSM), academicians, womens non-
governmental organisations as well as experts in the field of child sex crime.

Children should never suffer in silence and as a society, we should never turn a blind eye
upon them, instead always be more concerned for one another.

We hope that parents all around Malaysia hug their children a little tighter tonight and
strive to always keep them safe from harm.

After all, as Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa puts it: There can be no
keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.
--Malaysian Digest

2-year-old Ipoh girl dies in child abuse case

Editorial cartoon of child abuse.

Photo: Barita Harian

IPOH, Malaysia- A two-year-old girl is dead after she suffered injuries on her head and
police are looking at possible child abuse.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Sum Chang Keong said a police report was made on Feb 26 at
the Menglembu station claiming that the girl could have been abused which caused her
injuries.

He said the girl's grandmother brought her to a clinic after she suffered breathing
difficulties.

"A post mortem has been conducted and it was found that victim suffered head injuries.

"We will be calling witnesses for questioning and identifying suspects," ACP Sum said in
a press statement.

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/2-year-old-ipoh-girl-

dies-child-abuse-case#sthash.ObtbD0SI.dpuf

Saturday, Feb 27, 2016

67 fatal child abuse cases in Malaysia in seven years

The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post

Kuala Lumpur | Fri, March 27, 2015 | 09:53 am

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The Malaysia police have raised concern over the rising number of cases of domestic
violence, which resulted in 67 child deaths over the last seven years.

Home minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said there was also an increase in domestic
violence that left young victims with long-term trauma and injuries.

'This is usually against young children who are unable to defend themselves when
physically abused or hurt,' he said in a written reply to MP P. Kasthuriraani.

'Recently, there had been domestic violence cases that saw fatal physical injuries,'
said Ahmad Zahid.

He said Selangor had the highest number of such cases, with 21 child victims suffering
abuse or ending up dead since 2007.
Eight cases were recorded in Kuala Lumpur and Johor for the same period, followed by
Perak with five.

He added that Penang, Negri Sembilan and Malacca each recorded four cases, and there
were three each in Kelantan and Terengganu.

Ahmad Zahid said there were two cases each in Sabah and Sarawak, and one each in
Perlis, Kedah and Pahang. (***)

'Nursery crimes': One ECD's quest to stop child sexual abuse in Malaysia Painful
personal experience pushed NagaDDB's ECD, Alvin Teoh, to create a powerful campaign
against paedophilia. Alvin Teoh, NagaDDB: Alvin Teoh, NagaDDB: "We knew we
couldn't hold back on shocking people." KUALA LUMPUR - Sexual child abuse,
unfortunately, has been making headlines in Malaysia recently. In the UK, Richard
Huckle, now known as Britain's worst paedophile was convicted and given life in prison
for the abuse of at least 23 children in Malaysia and Cambodia. This shed light on an
issue that many in the strictly religious and rather sheltered nation deny is a problem.
More recently, Malaysian activist Syed Azmi exposed a prolific chat group created to
discuss sex with children and to share child pornography. The 751 members of the group
would take images of children off the web, often from social-media sites, and discuss
what they would like to do with the children. Also recently, journalists at Star Media's
R.AGE exposed the 'grooming' activities of predators. A lack of awareness, and poor-to-
no sex education in Malaysia, particularly among rural and more strictly religious
communities, has been pointed out as a factor that makes Malaysian children particularly
vulnerable to predators like Huckle. A national campaign launching today, spearheaded
by Alvin Teoh, ECD at NagaDDB, hopes to change that. It's personal "My 9-year-old
daughter was a victim of a paedophile teacher two years ago, but thankfully she escaped
before any serious damage was done because she planned her escape as soon as he made
his moves on her," Teoh shared. "Needless to say, that was the time I felt most broken.
But the lesson for us was that my daughter was empowered with awareness, thanks to the
efforts of my wife. That saved her." Teoh pointed out that before the Huckle case made
headlines, there was next to no reportage on the issue in Malaysia. "Even now many here
see it as a White-man disease, ignoring the fact that there are countless locals who are
predators. These predators draw power from ignorance, and so many have gotten away."
The first phase of Nursery Crimes, targets parents of very young children and is about
getting this taboo and misunderstood topic into the spotlight, said Teoh. "We want people
to talk about it and we want to drive the microsite to seek information and to seek advice
and help via PS the Children, an NGO that is at the forefront of the battle against this
abuse." This stage of the campaign rides on the fact that children can't tell the difference
between love and sexual abuse. Statistically, many of the crimes are committed by people
they trust: neighbours, teachers, caretakers, even parents and grandparents. "This is tragic
as well as shameful and is quietly swept under the carpet," commented Teoh. The
campaign features three films, one each in English, Malay and Chinese, each of which
leads to a microsite that provides information on how to spot the signs of abuse, how to
react to a case of child abuse and where to seek help. "Then, each visitor to the site is
invited to be an advocate of this mission just by passing on the knowledge by sharing
information from the microsite." Two years in the making It took Teoh two years to get
this campaign off the ground, because when the idea was first proposed, it made the
social workers that he consulted uncomfortable. "They were afraid that children would
not understand and would start to sing these nursery rhymes we had rewritten," he said.
"So we put it on hold, out of respect. But after a year of waiting, these stories started to
come out and we went ahead. But we did remember their advice and the videos will be
online, and if it's on air, it will be in a timebelt where children are unlikely to be
watching." The videos are extremely difficult to watch. The appropriation of beloved
nursery rhymes is shocking, and there is a genuine creeping sense of dread for the child
in the video. "When we were casting, we had quite a few parents pull their children out
when they read the script," Teoh said. "However in the end, we found parents who
understood and were fully on board with the project." Teoh believes that there is a need to
shock, and that greater awareness and education on the issue outweighed the negatives.
"It's controversial and straightforward," he said. "We knew we couldn't hold back on
shocking people, and we didn't want to be too clever about it. People are meant to be
angry, to be in denial. Any response is a good response." Teoh and his team donated their
work to the project pro-bono, along with the production and audio houses involved.
"When they heard what we wanted to do, they were keen to work on it free of charge," he
said. But Teoh was firm that the project needed the full support of a legitimate NGO. "We
could have carried the project, but we don't have all the necessary knowledge," he said.
"We need experts, people working in the field to advise us. We 're not social activists,
we're ad-agency people. Sometimes intentions might be good, but you can cause a lot of
damage because of ignorance. Someone's misery and pain is not a subject matter for
award wins." PS the Children, said Teoh, was happy to work with NagaDDB on the
project and is at the forefront of working with abused kids in Malaysia. "They have given
us their full support." More to do The campaign will air in TGV Cinemas, which has
donated screen time to the campaign. Audio versions will be broadcast on Astro Radio,
which has likewise given free air time to the project. "We're also in discussions with
Astro to see how we can bring this topic to life via their talk shows," said Teoh. "The
media, publishers and key opinion leaders are also lending their support to amplify the
project." This is only phase one, and there is much more to do, concluded Teoh. "There's
cyber-stalking, the empowerment of survivors of child sex abuse and even child brides.
Malaysians need to have proper conversations around these topics."

Read more at: http://www.campaignasia.com/article/nursery-crimes-one-ecds-quest-to-

stop-child-sexual-abuse-in-malaysia/427989