Intensify gadget control, campaign to curb porn, urges DPM

TUARAN: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has called for the gadget usage control and cyberwise families campaign to be intensified in order to take control of pornography inflicted sexual related offences and social illnesses.

Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said the National Registration Department (JPN) statistics revealed females below the age of 18 had birthed 4,992 illegitimate children in 2017 and, up to June 2018, females below 18 have given birth to 1,664 illegitimate children.

Meanwhile, she added 120 baby dumping cases were recorded throughout 2017.

"These figures show that family role should be sought, reinforced and given added value in order to control and curb their respective family members from falling into negative illnesses," said Wan Azizah, when officiating the Reject Pornography as a Family (SToP) seminar at Institut Pengajian Guru (IPG) Kent Campus here yesterday.

She further revealed a 2017 Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) report had recorded an 81.8% of internet penetration in 2018 compared to 76.9% in 2016 for Malaysia, and a 7.2% increase, from 68.7% (2016) to 75.9% (2017), in smartphone ownership showed that 76.9% or 24.5 million Malaysians are using the internet.

"Undeniably, gadgets are the main communication medium in this era where it connects many parties to communicate, interact, share a lot of good official information or not," she said.

"However, uncontrolled gadget utilization can give negative implications to users, especially children if misused and more so without parental supervision," added the Deputy Prime Minister.

She said the Fifth Malaysian Population and Family Survey (KPKM-5, 2014) study reflected heavy gadget usage amongst children and parents as the communication medium recorded were phone (73%), SMS (54.6%) and social media (15.6%).

Wan Azizah added the same report showed 35.3% of teenagers aged from 13 to 24 are exposed to pornography, of which 35% are through smartphones and 20% through CD and DVD porn.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said, according to a National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) study entitled Risk and Protective Factor Affecting Adolescent Sexual Behaviour in Sabah and Sarawak, porn readership viewing is risk factor for school teenagers involvement in sexual activity.

She elaborated this is because, amongst the school teenagers who have stated that they have engaged in sexual activity, 22% have said that it was caused by pornography.

"Doesn't this frighten us? Are our families equipped with the controlled gadget utilization discipline to face this challenge? Therefore, the implementation of the device control campaign and cyber families must be expanded. It can be implemented through government agencies and NGO cooperation to increase the level of family and community awareness in controlling the use of gadgets and prudent cyber-browsing," said Wan Azizah.

"Such programs should involve the cooperation of various parties comprising of individuals, government bodies, corporate companies, local communities and NGOs that will be implemented in collaboration to ensure the wellbeing of Malaysian families in the future," she added.