Permata to raise awareness about child sexual offences

KUANTAN: Permata Negara (Permata) will continue efforts to raise awareness and educate the public about sexual offences against children.

The prime minister’s wife and Permata patron Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor said this would be done through campaigns, pamphlets and guidelines over procedures in reporting such crimes, early signs of abuse as well as how parents could combat the problem.

“Permata will provide modules and training to operators of Taska Permata Negara to detect early signs of sexual violence against children.

“We are going to implement the ‘Minggu Kesedaran Jenayah Seksual Kanak-Kanak’ (Sexual Violence Against Children Awareness Week) programme via various activities, such as talks, debates and art.”

Rosmah was speaking during the launch of online portal pahangcakna.com at Dewan Jubli Perak Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah here yesterday.

The portal aims to spread public awareness about the issue through statistics on how sexual violence is perpetrated against children and child abuse, as well as telephone numbers for lodging complaints.

Present were Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and his wife Datin Seri Junaini Kassim, as well as state Women and Family Development, Communication and Multimedia Committee chairman Datuk Shahaniza Shamsuddin.

Rosmah congratulated the state government for creating the portal through the Association of Wives of Pahang State Assemblymen (Teratai), making it easier for people to get information and lodge complaints on sexual violence against children.

A total of 5,779 cases of sexual abuse of children were recorded nationwide, with a yearly average of 963 cases, from 2010 to 2015.

Another 7,862 cases were recorded from 2014 to last year.

The majority of such cases took place in rural areas as 89 per cent of the offenders were known by the victims — family members, friends, neighbours and adults from the victims’ schools or “asrama” (school dormitories).