KUALA LUMPUR – Rape cases involving underage girls have increased in the last three years, and police believe the majority of them began with grooming on social media, including chat applications such as WhatsApp.
Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) principal assistant director Siti Kamsiah Hassan said most of the victims told police that they got to know the perpetrators through social media.
“The majority of underage girls who became victims of rape told investigating officers that they first met the perpetrators on social media platforms such as online chat forums before meeting them in person.
“This demonstrates that these girls have gone through the grooming phase, with ‘hi’ greetings and other words of praise, which leads to the girls sending nude photos. This is followed by the meeting phase, during which the girls are raped, including by gangs,” she said.
Police statistics show that 1,299 rape cases involving underage girls were reported in 2021, which increased to 1,388 in 2022 and 1,590 in 2023.
Gang rapes involving underage girls were also on the rise, with 61 cases reported in 2021, compared to 103 cases in 2022 and 104 in 2023.
Siti Kamsiah said that apart from serving as a grooming platform, social media is also used by paedophiles to spread child sexual abuse material to other individuals with the same sexual orientation.
“They share their experiences of deceiving children and the fun of exploiting them,” she said.
Siti Kamsiah said the role of parents is crucial in tackling the grooming issue.
“Instil in children the importance of setting boundaries when socialising in the cyber world. Remind them not to freely share information or engage in activities prohibited by their customs, cultures, and religions,” she added.
She advised parents to monitor their children’s activities, particularly their use of telecommunications gadgets and equipment.
“Most importantly, parents should inculcate strong values in their children so that they will shy away from any activities that are against moral and religious norms,” she said.
At the same time, parents should raise their children’s self-awareness in order to protect them from being exploited by paedophiles who use sophisticated communication equipment.
“They (children) need to understand what amounts to a threat to their well-being and how to protect themselves,” she said. – April 10, 2024