Lam Thye wants intel-sharing on paedophile perpetrators

KUALA LUMPUR: Relevant authorities in all countries should share respective intelligence on paedophile perpetrators, said Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation ( MCPF) vice- chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

Lee said without information sharing, efforts to catch these criminals and provide assistance to the victims will be slowed down.

He said if countries can share intelligence on terrorism activities and transboundary crimes, there should be no problem in sharing information on paedophiles, especially with countries that have good bilateral relations such as between Britain and Malaysia.

“Child pornography is a serious human rights violation and it is our duty to protect each and every child, not only in Malaysia but also globally, from any abuse and exploitation, be it physical, emotional or sexual.

“If British authorities work closely with relevant parties in Malaysia such as the police, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and

Child pornography i�� a ��eriou�� human right�� violation and it i�� our duty to protect each and every child, not only in Malay��ia but al��o globally, from any abu��e and exploitation, be it phy��ical, emotional or ��exual.

the NGOs, we can start locating the victims and their families earlier so that they could be given counselling and other necessary assistance to help them cope with the trauma,” he said in a statement, here yesterday.

It was only yesterday, as Malaysia was shocked after hearing a news regarding a British paedophile, Richard Huckle, who admitted to multiple counts of molesting Malaysian children.

British media reported that the freelance photographer, Huckle, 30, may have abused up to 200 children aged between six months and 12 years, from 2006 to 2014.

BBC reported that his sentencing hearing began in London on Wednesday, and is expected to conclude yesterday.

Lee said while people throughout the world are following closely Huckle's trial, most Malaysians find it hard to understand why a foreign paedophile was on the loose in the country without local enforcement authorities being tipped off by any foreign enforcement agencies including the UK's National Crime Agency ( NCA).

He said Malaysian police were never informed about Huckle by authorities from any country.

Pertaining to the issue, Lee suggested that the Police's Child Cyber Sexual Investigation Unit beef up monitoring and surveillance of the online activities of paedophiles, either from Malaysia or abroad.

“We have to act swiftly to monitor these activities and relevant authorities should work with their counterparts abroad as the Internet and various forms of computer technology have made local and transboundary cybercrimes hard to detect,” he added.

Lee said a comprehensive data of perpetrators of crimes against children, including child sex offenders was needed especially when criminals now can have access to children anywhere including at home, through social media.

He also suggested if the provisions under the Child Act (Amendment) 2015 and the Penal Code is not sufficient to address sexual exploitation of children, the Government may want to consider a new law on child pornography.

“Currently, there is no specific criminal law in the country that holistically address the issue of child pornography, including the issue of child marriage,” he said.

Lee added the government should also review its existing cyber laws in strengthening them to address the issue of paedophilia and parents and teachers must be aware and take steps to protect children from becoming victims of paedophiles and other cybercriminals targeting children. — Bernama

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Malay��ian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Vice-Chairman